Dark Souls
by Ginger Anastase
Summary: Sequel to 24 Hours. Darquesse is on the run. Low on power and pursued by those who want Valkyrie back, she must steal energy from her loyal and obsessed follower, Felix. But what will happen when she is captured? Will she release Valkyrie or will the others have to live without the girl they all know and love, after getting so close to her survival?
1. White Lips, Pale Face

**Hello my lovelies! And here it is…..the sequel! If you haven't read _24 Hours_ then I suggest you read it otherwise this story won't make sense. Thank you for all the feedback on my last story and I hope you like this one :D x**

**Carolina Blues :)**

Darquesse stretched as she breathed in the air of the sea. It was salty and made her nose itch but she didn't care. She was sat on a small boat dock and her black boots almost touched the waters of the shore, occasionally breaking the surface when she leaned down. The harbour around her was empty, only a scruffy seagull on top of a telegraph pole and a floating fishing boat to keep her company. But then again, she preferred it that way.

It had been only two days since she had saved Valkyrie from the hands of death, since she had burnt the poison out of her. Two days since she had smiled crookedly at the sight of the shocked faces worn by her former friends as their Valkyrie disappeared. Former friends, of course, because they refused to take a likening to Darquesse and wanted Valkyrie back.

But Valkyrie was buried deep now among the dark blood of her evil alternate personality. Darquesse would sometimes hear her mumbling in her head, pleading on occasion to be set free. Darquesse had laughed at her and waved a hand to dismiss the very thought of setting her free. If Valkyrie was ever released then she would be healthy and happy and would run back into the arms of her friends without a droplet of poison in her veins. However, Darquesse didn't want to set Valkyrie free. So many times had she been told by the skeleton that it wasn't her time yet, it was still Valkyrie's time. Now, Darquesse cherished the very air she breathed, positively giddy with the fact that she wasn't breathing through someone else's lungs.

"You're a pathetic specimen of a bird, do you know that?" she stated to the seagull as it flew down beside her.

It strutted about her.

Darquesse breathed deeply, inhaling the life force that the bird possessed. She was low on life force, it had taken much of her strength to eradicate the poison from Valkyrie's system and she felt unnaturally weak. She didn't like it; the feeling of hopelessness.

She breathed in again and couldn't take it any longer.

She narrowed her eyes as the bird tilted its head at her. Like it was speculating.

Her hand darted out and she grabbed the bird by the neck. It struggled, flapping it wings but she quickly broke them with a whip of her shadows. It squawked as she tightened her hold on its neck. It let out a final pitiful sound and went limp.

Darquesse drank in the life that slowly drained from the seagull and relished the small but significant power that came with it.

She tossed the dead bird into the sea and let it float away.

Looking at her reflection in the water, she sighed again at her appearance. Her skin was dull and pale, her lips white and thin. Her eyes were a little sunken but brighter after she had taken the life from that bird. She huffed. At least her hair was still shiny.

She wasn't sure where she was. She hadn't taken any notice to where she was running to after revealing her inner darkness to all her friends. It wasn't home. It definitely wasn't Ireland. Everyone she had overheard over the past few hours, and there were not many, spoke with different accents. Perhaps English or American, she hadn't gotten close enough to decipher it properly. It didn't bother her. She would find a sign post somewhere or fly high into the sky and look down on her surroundings. But she couldn't do that without wishing it all to be flattened to the ground.

She sighed lovingly as she thought of destruction, wanting the cities to be levelled, the world to be silenced. Although, she could only wish for it at the moment. She couldn't start to destroy the earth she stood on just yet because people knew of her now. She would wait until the fuss had died down, she would commit a few murders to keep her strength up.

She had become too loud, too noisy. And now was the time to slink back into the shadows.

**I know, I know that was pretty dull and unbearably short but I needed to start off with it. I hope you liked it. Please review xx**


	2. Search For Her

**Thank you for your lovely reviews (I was a bit worried no-one would read the sequel) And, yes, _Summer Rosewood_ the awesome and brilliant, I did steal the last line of the last chapter from Doctor Who. You clever thing :D **

**Carolina Blues x**

Skulduggery slammed the last eye witness account on the table in his study. Tanith looked over from the report she was reading and sighed.

"Skul, we'll find her," she said patting his shoulder.

He nodded stiffly, "I know. We will find her. It just depends how long it's going to take before she snaps."

Tanith nodded grimly. She had taken the news that Valkyrie was in fact Darquesse better than most. Because she could relate to it. She'd been possessed by something dark and she knew what it was like. Of course, she also knew that Valkyrie's case was far different than hers but there was one main reason that she was helping Skulduggery track her down. She missed her friend, her sister. Full stop.

Skulduggery picked the account back up and flicked through it again, determined to find something…

_Witness: Trinity Moiselle_

_Discipline: Adept_

_Age: 56_

_Nationality: English_

_Location of Sighting: Cardiff, Wales_

_Date Sighting: 16/12/12_

_Account: 'I was in Wales on business for the English Sanctuary and I was looking for a Sea Hag on the coast of Cardiff down by Carrion Docks. I made my self scarce, I set up camp on top of a disused bus shelter with a cloaking sphere, looking through a pair of binoculars. I didn't find the Sea Hag but on leaving I saw a dark-haired girl sat on the docks. She didn't move for a long time until this gull flew down to her. She snatched the bird away but I didn't understand what she did after that. She just held it there then threw it into the sea like it was dead. I walked into town and caught the train back to England.'_

_Interviewed by Agent Iris Ebbaway, Irish Sanctuary._

_Witness Vow: 'I swear on my life that I will not disclose any information about what I witnessed unless addressed by Detective Skulduggery Pleasant of the Irish Sanctuary, Elder Ghastly Bespoke of the Irish Sanctuary, Grand Mage Erskine Ravel of the Irish Sanctuary, Miss Tanith Low of the English Sanctuary or Agent Iris Ebbaway of the English Sanctuary.'_

_Signed: Trinity Moiselle._

Tanith read over his shoulder and grinned.

"Well, that's great isn't it?" she said, "That Moiselle girl saw her today, can't we just go to Cardiff?"

Skulduggery shook his head, "No."

"And why not?"

Skulduggery passed her the laptop with his emails on the screen, "Another sighting today."

Tanith scanned through the email. A man of the American Sanctuary had seen a girl with dark hair and Valkyrie's clothes crouching on top of a building in Manhattan.

She huffed, "Back to square one, I guess. But one of these sightings has to be her."

"Yes, _one _of them probably is. But we can't afford to go searching for her in the wrong place. We lost too much time yesterday looking in France when she was really still hiding out in Dublin. How does she get around so much in two days?"

"I don't know. I wish we hadn't had to tell the other Sanctuary's about her. Not one of them understands what's really going on."

"Oh?" he said standing, "What's really going on then?"

Tanith frowned again, "Well, Valkyrie has been overtaken by Darquesse and we need help to get her back."

He tilted his head, "Tanith, Valkyrie is Darquesse. She hasn't been possessed, she hasn't been hypnotised. Darquesse is her dark side. And she's come out to play."

She coughed, not wanting to accept that Darquesse was part of Valkyrie. Tanith busied herself with reading a report from yesterday and refused to look Skulduggery in the eye. Well, eye sockets.

"How are the others getting on?" asked Skulduggery, changing the subject. Tanith looked other to him. All those present at Valkyrie's goodbye at Gordon's house had had a hard time getting to grips with the new information about Valkyrie. Kenspeckle had thrown himself into research about what powers like Darquesse had done to get rid of the poison while Fletcher had teleported over to Australia to try had wipe it from his mind. Dexter Vex had gladly said he'd help with tracking Darquesse down, grinning a little at the thought of travelling again. Erskine had dealt with the other Sanctuary's, as well, as his own, explaining the situation with Darquesse to them. He had yet to decide if Valkyrie would be arrested when she was found. If she was found. However, Ghastly had been surprisingly difficult. He was upset that Skulduggery hadn't trusted him with the secret and, for the first day, had stayed cooped up in his office.

"Ghastly is slowly coming round. He'll get over it."

"I hope so. His help will be invaluable. That's what you're meant to do when you have friends in high places. Take advantage of it."

She chuckled, "So what do you think? Can't we just send one team to Manhattan and one team to Cardiff?"

"Tanith we only have one team, and we need all of them to even fight her. Let alone capture her. We can't afford to have an encounter with her when we only have half of our fighters."

Tanith slumped. Things were so difficult now. People were either too unqualified to go up against Darquesse or too scared. But she had to admit, Erskine had dealt well with the situation. He pushed aside any personal feelings, refused any offers of help from other Sanctuary's and produced a fight squad to call upon when they had the location of Darquesse.

She checked her watch, "I've got to go. Ghastly wants to see me before I go back to England."

Skulduggery looked up, "You're going to England?"

"Yep, I'm searching around the Cornwall area. A friend gave me a tip off that her friend was based down there and has good fighters to spare. I'm going to try a persuade them to lend us a few men to join the squad."

"Okay, then."

She smiled and left him to his research. They had a lot of support from everyone. Although some turned there noses up at helping a girl that had lied about herself for years, Skulduggery was happy with the help they had. The Agents at different Sanctuary's, despite Erskine's refusal to have them interfere with the finding of Darquesse, had agreed to report any possible sightings of her. But deciphering which ones were actually Darquesse and which ones weren't. Darquesse was wanted all over the world. And it was all Skulduggery could do to try and protect her from people killing her on sight. Well, try anyway. He highly doubted that anyone other than Lord Vile could stand up against her and he had no intention revealing his true self to the world.

Skulduggery's email alert sounded. He lazily clicked on the new message. His imaginary eyes widened at the bold letters.

_Sender: Dexter Vex_

_Recipient: Skulduggery Pleasant_

_Subject: Dublin. NOW!_

_DARQUESSE SIGHTED IN DUBLIN! I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE GOT FROM CARDIFF TO DUBLIN IN A FEW HOURS BUT GET YORSELF DOWN TO HALOWE FOREST NOW._

_D.V_

Skulduggery almost slapped down the laptop but another ping went off. It was another email from Dexter but a picture this time. A blurry picture of a dark-haired girl wearing black clothes and with her back to the phone camera. She was going into a large forest and, although unclear and far away, you could see the glow of a fireball in her hand.

The laptop was left open as Skulduggery sprinted to the Bentley and broke the speed limit on his way to Halowe Forest, Dublin.

**Ta-da! Hoped you enjoyed it. And also I don't think Carrion Docks, Cardiff and Halowe Forest, Dublin actually exist. Just clearing that up :) please review! :)**


	3. The Coward

**Helloooo! Right, new chapter. Umm….Yeah. Minimal violence in this one and guess who is going to turn up? ;) **

**Carolina Blues x**

Dexter Vex sat on top of a flat-roofed building outside Halowe Forest, waiting for Skulduggery to arrive. He had called the fight squad and they set up a perimeter around the woodland, eyeing the trees suspiciously, expecting a figure just as dark as the forest to jump out at them. Moriarty Misfit stood behind him. Misfit was tall and broad with lots of muscle and dark brown hair that was cut short. They were both on lookout to see if Darquesse came out of the forest. Being near someone with so much muscle did nothing for Dexter's ego, despite being very fit himself. Dexter swung his legs childishly over the edge of the building.

Something dark scuttled below him. He frowned.

_Just my mind playing tricks on me _he thought.

The street outside the forest was deserted. The pitiful howling of the wind tousled the leaves of the trees and bounced rubbish down the road. Apart from that, his surroundings were silent. So very, very quiet. But something broke the silence. A whoosh of air then a patter on the roof behind him, like someone landing. And then…a humming.

_Da da-da daa da daa daaa, da da-da da da daaa._

The Harry Potter theme tune.

"Moriarty, will you shut up!" Dexter muttered to his friend, not averting his gaze from the forest, looking for an sign of movement in the treetops. Darquesse was still in there somewhere…

_Da da-da daaa da daaa da da, da da-da daa da daaa.. _

"Shut up, Misfit!" Dexter growled again, "Now is not the time."

The humming continued and Dexter gritted his teeth against shouting. He still didn't turn but scowled into the open air. He stared at the edge of the forest remembering…

He had only been passing through Halowe Street by chance and had almost crashed his car when he saw her.

Her stance had been confident and she had held a fireball in her hand. The wind had whipped her hair over her shoulder and when she had turned her head to smile at Dexter, the only thing that mirrored the darkness in her eyes was the darkness of the sky above her. Dexter had fumbled with his phone and taken a blurry picture of her with her back to him. She had gazed up at the majestic trees and disappeared into the shadows. He had then ordered Skulduggery to get to the forest before Darquesse caused any trouble.

Dexter huffed and massaged his forehead, trying to block out the constant humming.

"Moriarty, I swear to God, if you don't shut up I will gag you with your own muscles. I don't know how that would work but, I can assure you, it wouldn't be pleasant."

Silence.

"Oh, come on, mate, I'm only joking."

Silence.

Dexter felt a shiver work it's way up his spine, twisting in and out of his vertebrae and settling at the back of his neck. The sudden feeling of dread prevented him from turning his head.

"Moriarty?"

The humming started again and Dexter sighed in relief. But that feeling quickly dissipated when it was followed by a-

_Drip, drip, drip._

Dexter forced his head to slowly turn.

_Drip, drip , drip._

___Da da-da daa da daa daaa, da da-da da da daaa_. 

The humming and the dripping echoed of the walls of the buildings and mingled with the howling wind.

_Drip, drip , drip._

___Da da-da daaa da daaa da da, da da-da daa da daaa._

"Moriarty?!"

He could not turn. He cracked his head back to face the forest and shuddered. He feared what was behind him. But he couldn't be a coward. He stood and turned, slowly, step-by-step.

_Drip, drip , drip._

___Da da-da daa da daa daaa, da da-da da da daaa_

He closed his eyes. He was facing it. Whatever was humming, whatever was dripping, he was facing it

He snapped open his eyes. The humming stopped.

"Hello, gorgeous," she said. She held the body in her arms, absorbing it's life force and letting the blood that seeped through the gashes in it's T-shirt drip to the ground.

_Drip, drip, drip._

Darquesse grinned and started humming again. She dropped the dead body of Moriarty Misfit to the ground and launched herself at Dexter.

* * *

Skulduggery swerved into a parking lot, almost scraping against another car but screeching past and halting diagonally. He dived out of the car and slammed the door shut then sprinted for Halowe Street, the narrow road that snaked around Halowe Forest. Activating his façade, golden-blonde hair and green eyes, he ran out of the parking lot and searched for anything to help him. He noted the signpost pointing to his chosen street and raced to it, looking either side of him for Dexter. The road was stubbornly unpopulated and Dexter was nowhere to be seen. He slowed to a stop and spun round checking every roof top for any movement. The quiet on this street was alarming-

"SKULDUGGERY!"

Skulduggery looked up.

"Dexter? Where are you?"

There was no answer. For the scream that jumped up Dexter's throat blocked any reply he would have said.

"Dexter?!" Skulduggery ran again, twisting every now and then to make sure no-one was behind him. He felt footsteps running after him but when he turned, nothing. He spun his head back to look where he was going. The forest on his right loomed at him, every hollow in the tree staring at him. The buildings jutted out at odd angles and the wind began whispering in his ears. Leaves blew up in his face and he raised his arms, shielding himself against them, before a fresh gust of wind tugged his hair from his face. He stumbled backwards but kept his footing and jumped over a dustbin. His tie kept blowing in his face so he took it off a discarded it to the ground.

"Dexter? Where are you?!" he shouted again.

"You dropped your tie."

He skidded to a halt. That oh so familiar voice, edged with a certain malice that made Skulduggery shiver.

He spun to face her. She held Dexter by the scruff of his collar, on his knees. His nose was bloodied and his arm was twisted unnaturally up his back,

Darquesse smiled, "Hello, handsome. Come to see me? How sweet."

Skulduggery didn't respond but took a tiny step forward. Darquesse noticed. She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play it?" she leaned down to speak to Dexter, "Pretty boy, you go and limp over there while I have fun."

Dexter obliged but sneered at Darquesse.

"Now, Skulduggery," she began, "What brings you here?"

He gritted his teeth, "I want my partner back."

She cupped a hand to her ear, "Sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your certain failure."

"Don't play games with me."

Darquesse pouted, "But I _like_ games. Especially when I kill people, that's when it's gets fun."

Skulduggery's lips twitched, he had found a way to taunt her, "But you haven't been killing many people. Been feeling a bit weak, have we?"

She scowled, "You should be thankful. I spent up most of my energy saving your precious Valkyrie so I'll have less of the wit, thank you."

"As I was saying, you haven't been at peak condition recently. So, why do you want to fight me when I'll clearly win?"

She smiled, "Let's just say, I'm feeling a bit better."

Moriarty's body rolled off the rooftop and hit the tarmac in front of Skulduggery with a sickening thwack. He winced.

"You didn't have to kill him, you know."

"Oh, but I did. Would you rather it be Pretty Boy over there? But don't worry, I've been being a good girl. He was the only one I've killed. Unless you count that one bird I ended. I didn't think it would be missed," she replied, waving her hand dismissively.

Skulduggery stepped forward again and Darquesse mirrored.

"I wouldn't be so keen to fight, Skul. I may not be at the top of my game but I'm feeling _so _much more powerful. How do you think I've been country hopping so easily?"

"Flying, I guess?"

She smiled smugly, "Maybe. I won't reveal all my secrets just yet."

With that, she snapped her fingers and produced a glowing fireball. Skulduggery would have done the same but he was intrigued. Would she really attack with something as boring as a fireball? It appeared not.

She snapped her other palm and a rope of shadow flicked around her finger. She twirled one finger and the shadow rope blended with the fireball. A black flame. She launched it at Skulduggery. He neatly dodged but the black fireball exploded on the ground and sent up a wave of smoke. Skulduggery couldn't see. The smoke got into his fake eyes and he spluttered. He tried to manipulate the smoke away from him but it stayed blocking his vision. Skulduggery lurched forwards, frantically trying to find his way out of the smoke. He couldn't see a thing.

He felt the air moved and he lunged to his right, catching Darquesse's ankle as she tried to make her getaway.

"Don't you even think about it," he muttered.

She cleared the air with a wave of her hand and grimaced at him.

"I forgot that _you _taught me how to read the air."

She used the distraction of conversation and pounced on him, pinning his left arm to the ground with her right and trapping his right arm with her knee so she still had a hand free.

"So kill me," he challenged.

She prodded the shiny casing that held him together, the pretty lights only she could see, and smiled when he yelped in pain.

"I said kill me!" he wheezed, "Or are you a coward?"

She gripped at his neck, so close to strangling every single bit of life from him. She fought against the voice in her head, screaming at her not to kill him. She struggled with the mental barrier. Trying to block it out. She strained against it, tears in her eyes. But she couldn't. She couldn't kill him.

"You can't do it, can you?" he grinned, "You couldn't kill Dexter either."

She shook her head furiously, the tears loosening and falling down her face. She dabbed her cheek and looked at the moisture on her hand like it was alien.

_Cry?_ She thought. _I don't cry._

She moved off Skulduggery and sat back on her heels. Skulduggery caught her wrist like a shackle.

"What's wrong with me?"

He pulled her up and dusted off his suit.

"Valkyrie is too strong for you. She doesn't want you to kill me. No more than that."

He twisted her to face him, "She won't _let _you."

She shook her head in disbelief. No, she was stronger than this. Much stronger. She wouldn't let a stupid skeleton ruin her.

Darquesse smiled cheekily, the evil glint in her eye masking the alien tears.

"See you around, handsome."

And she was gone in a whirl of shadows that tore at the dark blue sky like wild fire.

**I really love writing Darquesse! I thought I would hate it but I'm enjoying it loads. That was my interpretation of our favourite evil psychopath. Well, she's my favourite anyway :D Anyway, please review xx**


	4. Felix

**I'M SORRY! I know, I haven't updated in ages but I've been really stuck for ideas. But, yay, my mind started working again and there is a NEW CHAPTER!**

**Carolina Blues**

The man with grey eyes approached the girl with black eyes, not showing that he was scared of the scowl she wore on her pretty face. Boy, was he in trouble.

"Skulduggery Pleasant made me cry!" she yelled, "You promised me that I was stronger than that!"

Felix bowed his head in apology. He had met Darquesse two days ago, in the very alleyway they stood in. She had been weak and wheezing, she had begged for his help and he had given it to her. He was a sucker for a gorgeous girl.

Felix was a relatively evil man. He was handsome, apart from his mangled right hand. It was heavy and set into a permanent claw, but his face was handsome. He was charming too, but still quite evil. Not the sort that went around killing innocent people but the sort that watched as someone else murdered them and did nothing. Felix didn't like to get his hands dirty. He didn't respond well to mercy so had no mercy himself.

Felix had wandered down this dark alleyway and found Darquesse curled up in her jacket. He wasn't an idiot; he knew who she was from the first glance. The Sensitives he knew had given him ideas of her long dark hair, her tight black clothes and her sinister eyes. He knew what she looked like, especially from as close as he had gotten. Darquesse was unmistakeable. Being an evil man himself, he felt it was his duty to help another just as monstrous. Felix hadn't known that by help, she had meant that she would take his powers away from him. And he had let her.

"What have you got to say for yourself? Felix?" she fumed.

He raised his head and arched an eyebrow, "I am sorry, my lady, but a little emotional breakdown was inevitable. Miss Cains' feelings were bound to bleed through at some point."

It was true. He had let her extract his magic from him and she had grown stronger, but not strong enough to be completely in control. Felix was a Necromancer and a fierce one at that. He was skilful, perhaps one of the most skilful people in his magic discipline. Not anymore. Now he had given up most of his powers to her, he could barely shadow-walk a few metres. Felix had been able to shadow-walk for _miles_. No, more than that. He had been able to teleport, somewhat, using his shadows. He had named it Wandering after his last name, Wander. Felix Wander. He had given that ability to Darquesse too. She could now Wander from country to country in a blink of an eye, only leaving shadows behind.

"Look, Felix. I understand that Valkyrie would have minimal control but it can't happen again," she growled.

Darquesse stepped forwards and tucked a piece of black hair behind Felix's ear, turning her charms on, "If you could just lend me a tiny little bit of life force, just a little. Please?"

Felix sighed, "I'm sorry. I can't, I'll barely be able to stand if you take any more."

She pouted, "But do you want me to appear weak to Skulduggery? Do you want them to think I'm frail and pathetic?"

"No."

"Then please will you do this for me? I'm sure Valkyrie will still have some emotional control but at least, if I had a little more power, then I could mange it."

Felix sighed again, "Fine, but not too much."

Darquesse grinned and cupped his cheek with her hand, "Would I do that to you?"

He melted. Not actually, that would be rather messy, but as soon as he looked at her dark eyes he knew he would do anything for this girl he had met two days ago.

"Right, okay then," she began, "You know it won't hurt."

She closed her eyes and took his hand with her free one, breathing in the life force. It was much better to feed off a human than snacking off that seagull. She felt Felix go a little limp but she didn't let go of his hand until she was happy. Darquesse smiled when she felt Valkyrie shrink back into the depths of her blood as the new strength overpowered her. Finally, she released his palm and caught him when he stumbled back. His eyes were hazy and he was barely breathing.

"You okay?" she asked, an odd edge of care lacing her normally violent tone.

"I'm fine…" stuttered Felix, supporting himself on her shoulder before standing on his own two feet.

"Good boy, she said, patting his head, "I feel much better. Skulduggery Pleasant is going to have a hard time making me cry again."

"Good," he wheezed, "Where will you go now? Last time you disappeared you went to a dock. Was there a reason for that?"

She considered her answer, "I felt the need to be away from you."

His face fell, "Oh."

She frowned, "Don't look glum. I only wished to go away because I knew you were weak. You needed rest so I went to Carrion Docks. You haven't seen me since, I don't think?"

"No you haven't," he replied, his face brighter after her explanation, "Why is it I have completely trusted you, why have I completely given everything to you?"

Darquesse smiled, "I'm just so charismatic that you couldn't resist me. I did think it would take you more than a couple of days to get used to being my loyal follower but you've done well."

"Excuse me? I never said I was your follower."

"No, you didn't _say _so."

"Oh shut up." If anyone else had told her to shut up their innards would probably on the wrong side of their body. But she had grown accustomed to Felix. She knew she had to put up with his bluntness if she wanted him to stick around.

She chuckled, "Anyway, I'll give you some time to strengthen up. I'll be back soon."

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm paying a friend a visit," she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

Felix stepped forward, "Can't I come?"

"No, like I said, you need rest. Don't worry, I'll be back soon," she reassured him again.

Darquesse disappeared from the alleyway and from Felix. He collapsed against the wall. He didn't think anyone had seen the Darquesse that he knew. The stories he had heard about Darquesse and her antics were gruesome, even by his standards. But when he talked with her, she didn't seem like the evil world-destroying girl that everyone said she was. He hoped he would never see that side of her, despite his often menacing personality. Because he loved her. He did, truly.

_Well done, Felix, you've fallen in love with the girl that's going to wipe out the population. Oh joy,_ he thought bitterly.

He banged his head against the wall. How had this happened to him? Why had he helped her in the first place? He had given his entire life to her in forty-eight hours, now what was he? A nobody. She had his powers. She potentially held his life in her hand. If he ran, if he left her, despite the 'friendship' they shared, he was sure she would kill him.

But how could he run? He knew her so well, better than anybody. Yes, Skulduggery Pleasant knew Valkyrie Cain better than she did herself. But The Great Detective didn't know Darquesse. Only Felix knew her. Only Felix knew who she really was. He was the one that had fallen for her.

He really _was_ a sucker for a gorgeous girl. Psychopath or not.

**There you go! Hope you enjoyed, and hopefully I'll update more regularly. Unless my mind stops working, as it often does. Don't worry; this fanfic won't be incredibly romantic, just bare with me. :D**


	5. Flirtacious Much?

**Hey guys, thank you, as always, for your lovely reviews. It's really nice to know what you think. If you like Dexter Vex and his flirty ways then you're definitely in for a treat ;)**

**Carolina Blues :D**

Dexter sat up, groaning, in Nye's surgery. He looked down at his arms and winced a little at how scarred they were. He grumbled again when his head started pounding and fell back against the pillow. He heard a chuckle to his left; Skulduggery was leaning against the doorway.

"You got quite battered, didn't you?" Skulduggery noted as he strode over to Dexter's bedside, "How are you feeling?"

"Fantastic," Dexter mumbled, "Did you catch her?"

Skulduggery stiffened, "No. She got away."

"How did she manage that? She was three feet from you!"

He crossed his arms, "I've no idea. She's picked up some new tricks, it seems. The only way I can describe it is that she disappeared in an explosion of shadows. There was no way we were going to get her."

"S'pose not. We were lucky to find her that one time."

"That we were. Anyway, you should be okay in a few hours; Nye got you fixed up good and proper."

Dexter grimaced, "You couldn't have taken me to Kenspeckle?"

"No he's busy. And whle this Darquesse hunt is technically Sanctuary business, we wouldn't be able to take you to him anyway since he's not the Sanctuary doctor anymore. Besides, I thought you would enjoy it more here since the nurse is particularly attractive…"

Dexter's face brightened, "Skul, you know me too well."

Any pain left on Dexter's face was replaced by a devilish grin when the nurse arrived in the room. She had dark purple, almost black, hair and a choppy fringe that outlined her pale, pretty face.

"Well, hello there, gorgeous," he said, and the girl blushed.

"Leave the poor girl alone, Dext."

"Shan't," he replied, winking, "Anyhow, how's Ghastly doing?"

Skulduggery sighed, "Alright, I think he'll be fine. At least we've definitely got Tanith on our side."

"Where is she now?"

"She was going to England but she called me while you were unconscious. She's postponing it. She wants to be around while Darquesse is in Ireland. _If _she's still in Ireland, she's probably disappeared off somewhere else. No, Tanith's back at her apartment now."

"Good, Ghastly might get a bit crazy if she leaves."

The nurse applied some serum to one of Dexter's open scars and he flinched.

"Sorry," she said, "I forgot to say it might sting."

Dexter smiled, "No problem, sweetheart. So, beautiful, what's your name?"

The girl blushed again, "Katti. Now shush."

"No I won't. If you want me to shut up you'll have to gag me."

Katti's cheeks deepened into a darker red but she still smiled, "Shut up."

Dexter held up his aching arms in surrender, "Okay, I'll be quiet. As long as you let me talk as much as I want when I take you out for dinner tonight."

Katti adopted a smirk, "Was that you sneakily asking me out?"

"Possibly or maybe I just got your hopes up."

"What hopes? The hope that maybe I'd get to have dinner with such a witty, funny, handsome, sexy man such as your self?" she questioned sarcastically.

He grinned, "You think I'm sexy?"

She faltered, "No, I think you think you're sexy."

"Of course I think I'm sexy," he said, "I'm interested in what you think."

Katti didn't answer but continued spreading ointment onto Dexter while her blush calmed down back to her pale skin.

Skulduggery spoke up again, "Dexter, please stop picking on Katti."

"I am not picking on her," he grumbled, "If I was picking on her she wouldn't be enjoying it."

Her cheeks flamed again.

"I'm sorry Katti. Am I making you uncomfortable?" Dexter began, "I could _make_ you more comfortable if you'd like."

Katti gaped at him.

"If that wasn't an innuendo then I don't know what is," Skulduggery chuckled.

Dexter turned to face him, "If that wasn't a comment that interrupted a perfectly good flirting match, I don't know what is."

"Dexter, it's not really a 'flirting match'. It's more 'you flinging comments at the poor blushing nurse'."

"Mate, a blush speaks volumes in flirting language," said Dexter, cheekily winking at Katti.

Skulduggery laughed and left Dexter to his 'blushing nurse', wondering how he could keep talking after having a run-in with Darquesse. As he left the surgery he couldn't help but think what would be happening if he had caught Darquesse when he had the chance. He could only wish.

* * *

Darquesse appeared in a swirl of shadows outside the house, magic curling at her fingertips. It was dark out; no-one was on the streets. She didn't care if someone saw her, they would die soon after. She would kill them because she could. Because she felt _so _much stronger. But unfortunately, no-one was there.

She sighed.

She wouldn't kill tonight. Darquesse looked slyly up at the apartment window, the one she knew her friend was in. A small smile crept onto her lips when she jumped, using the air to propel herself upwards, and catch onto the window ledge. Not a single person wandered the streets; Darquesse saw no need to hide her abilities from the world. There was a gap under the window where the window putty had peeled off. Darquesse grinned. She inhaled and closed her eyes, twirling a shadow in her palm. She fed the rope of shadow through the gap and guided it up towards the window handle, wrapping it around it and pulling hard. The handle turned down and the window swung open, letting a flood of cold evening air wash into the warm apartment living room. Darquesse clutched onto the top of the window and ducked in, treading lightly when her feet came upon the carpet of the apartment. It was quiet apart from the sound of teeth being brushed. It was followed by the swish of water out of a tap then the clatter of a bathroom door being unlocked.

Darquesse absentmindedly picked up an ornament from the nearby coffee table, glanced at it, then put it down again. She almost stepped on a creaking floorboard but diverted away when she sensed the weakness coming from it. She had a knack for that, sensing the pathetic and feeble. There was a glinting sword resting on the cabinet by the far wall, dangerously close to falling from its balance on the edge.

She raised her head when the padding of footsteps on tile came closer to her.

The shutting of a door.

The flicking off of a kitchen light.

The scrunch of long blonde hair being tied back.

More footsteps.

The gasp when the girl saw Darquesse as she stood grinning in the middle of the living room.

"Tanith," said Darquesse, "Pleasure to see you again."

Tanith's hand edged towards the sword on the cabinet but didn't grab it before Darquesse, with a wave of her hand, made it clatter to the floor.

* * *

Skulduggery was driving back to his house, feeling forlorn, even after being cheered up by Dexter's shameless attack on the defenceless Katti. He looked to his left and saw the empty passenger seat; at the exact angle Valkyrie liked it. He could almost envision exactly what she would be doing if she had been sitting there. Probably fiddling with her hair or pouting at the window. His suppressed a chuckle when he thought of her expression whenever he outwitted her. He stopped the car in a lay-by and put his head on the steering wheel. She should _be _there, telling him off for having such a big ego, complaining about her aches and pains, confusing him with her logic. Skulduggery was the type to entirely blame himself for bad things and this was no exception. He sighed. He also wasn't the type to sit around doing nothing. But what choice did he have? Darquesse was out there somewhere and he almost didn't want to find her because…because…Because when it came to crunch-time, if worse came to worse, he knew that Darquesse would have to be killed and he would have to be the one to pull the trigger.

He didn't feel like being alone. He spun around in the road and headed back in the direction he came, to Tanith's apartment.

**I LOVE writing Mr Vex, he is possibly one of my favourite characters. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, review if you wish :D**

**Hi I'm sorry about the Katti/Taya confusion, I've changed it so it says Katti all the way through x**


	6. Blood Paint

**Hello there. Watch out guys, things get pretty violent and there is one use of swearing. Other than that I hope you enjoy this chapter. My apologies again for the disgustingly late updating. **

**Carolina Blues**

Darquesse smiled at Tanith, the sheer malice of it breaking the wary silence that filled the space between them both. Tanith took a tiny step towards the sword.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," warned Darquesse.

Tanith took no notice and lunged for the sword, almost getting a hold on the hilt. Darquesse sighed and snapped her palm. The sword flew to her own grip.

"Why don't people just think? You know that you had no chance of reaching your flimsy little weapon but you still tried, didn't you?"

She flipped the sword in the air and caught the blade, the sharp edge tearing into her palm. Darquesse put the sword under her other arm and examined the dark blood that dripped from the slit on her hand. A drop splashed to the ground, steaming with shadows before it soaked into the carpet. Tanith's eyes followed the drops as they fell again and again to the floor, trying not to tremble with the fear she knew was slowly seizing her muscles and knotting her bones. Darquesse wasn't in pain, only in speculation. She held her hand, palm up, in front of Tanith and waited for her reaction as she slowly began to heal herself.

She wore her favourite smirk as Tanith's eyes widened.

The skin either side of the injury spread over the cut, letting a final droplet of blood splatter on the pale carpet that was now stained with a patch of red.

"What are you doing here?" the blonde asked through gritted teeth.

Darquesse drew the sword from under her arm and twirled it, relishing in hiss it made as it sliced through the air.

"For fun," she replied, "It annoys Valkyrie that she can't stop me."

Tanith growled, "Of course she can stop this! She's stronger than you."

Darquesse scoffed, "She used to be…but not anymore. I'm not going to lie, she's putting up a fight but it's not going to make any difference."

"Make any difference to what?" Tanith stuttered, attempting to appear braver than she was feeling and failing miserably.

Darquesse didn't reply. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, still smiling infuriatingly. A second passed by with only Tanith's question lingering in the air, and the second was enough time for her to work it out herself.

"The tables _have _turned, haven't they?" purred Darquesse, the words rolling off her tongue like caramel, "I seem to remember the time when you were going to kill me, or rather Valkyrie. Like me, you also had a screaming voice in your head telling you not to. And yet in both occasions, the voice is ignored"

Tanith stepped back as Darquesse stepped forwards.

"I understand that the Remnant did that to help set me free and, believe me, if that gorgeous piece of shadow still possessed you then you would not be harmed."

Darquesse threw the sword in the air again, this time catching it by the handle.

Tanith stepped away again, and sighed when her back hit the wall.

"But now…Now with you being so good and friendly," Darquesse spat," Now, with the begging voice in my head being so unmercifully _delicious_, I am finding it very difficult not to just…" She trailed off, raising the sword. Tanith cursed her sound-proofed apartment; no-one would be able to hear her scream.

To finish her sentence, Darquesse let the cold blade press on Tanith's neck. She gagged.

"Come and –" Tanith spluttered.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Darquesse mocked, cupping her ear.

Tanith ducked under the sword and rolled behind Darquesse. She jumped up and raised her fists.

"Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough."

Darquesse scowled and sent a dagger of shadows fly towards her opponent.

Tanith ducked, the shadow incinerating a strand of her hair as it rushed past her. She grumbled and fell on her back when a wave of darkness swept her to the floor. Darquesse picked Tanith up by her hair and threw her against the wall, tearing out several chunks in the process. Tanith clutched at her head, screaming in pain, but still flailed out blindly when she saw Darquesse advancing through her watering eyes.

"You really think I would let you off?" Darquesse grinned as she punched Tanith in the face. The Adept dodged the second punch and ran towards the opposite wall, attempting to run up it and cower on the ceiling, out of reach. Darquesse wasn't falling for that. She clicked her fingers and a flame sputtered to life. She launched it. Tanith heard the roar of the fire and jumped, catching the ceiling lamp and pulling herself up before the fireball set her feet alight. She swung on the lamp and flipped her legs upwards so her feet connected with the ceiling. That's all she needed. Her soles slammed against it so she let go of the light.

And there she stood, upside-down, warily eyeing the movements of the evil sorcerer in front of her, even though she was the wrong way round. Darquesse wandered forwards, taking her time, with a spark spitting erratically in her clawed hand.

"Very clever," she muttered, standing so she was looking up at Tanith, "Come down from the ceiling."

Tanith shook her head. Darquesse sighed.

She held the spark to the ends of Tanith's hair that were hanging suspended from her head. The spark grew into a flame and began eating away at the woman's dishevelled blonde locks. Tanith felt the heat grow nearer and nearer.

"I said, get down!" ordered Darquesse. Tanith grimaced, trying to fight against the thought of her poor hair being slowly burnt away. This worked until she finally felt the scorching touch of the fire caress her scalp. She screeched, dropped to the floor and grabbed at her considerably shorter tresses.

"You bitch," she gasped.

The dark-haired beauty shook her head, "No need for language."

Darquesse twisted Tanith's arm up her back, ignoring the tell-tale snap as her bone broke. Tanith screamed again, and Darquesse took no notice.

She snapped her palm and the sword came flying to her. Darquesse began slicing the blade up and down Tanith's arm, marvelling at the flood of blood that rushed to the floor.

* * *

Skulduggery pressed on the accelerator, bored of being alone. He was on Tanith's street but no traffic blocked the roads. It was quite late in the evening. Glancing out of the window, he recognised Tanith's apartment and parked on a grassy verge. A couple of stars pricked the velvety dark blue sky but the moon was hidden behind a chimney. The streetlamps illuminated the Bentley's glistening contours and Skulduggery admired it before looking up at the floor of the apartment block that Tanith lived in. The light was on and the window was open. He saw a thin sheet of magic covering the space where the window was open; a sound-proofing shield that spread to cover any breach in the perimeter. This breach proved to be the open window.

Skulduggery opened the door using the air without bothering to buzz Tanith's flat.

The building was cold but was painted in warm colours. The decoration was homely but it felt unwelcoming. The pictures on the wall were happy but the atmosphere was sad. The building completely contradicted itself so Skulduggery made a mental note never to live in this block of flats. He scaled the stairs and looked for apartment twelve.

"9, 10, 11…12!" he said to himself as he found the right door. He tapped his skeletal fist on door.

"Tanith?" No answer. He knocked again, "Tanith? You in?"

Something wasn't right. Tanith had told him she would be at her home and she would have called if she had decided to go to England. He glanced at his watch. She wouldn't be asleep yet, and, even if she was, she wouldn't have left the window open.

"Tanith?" he asked again, worried this time, "I'm going to come in."

He closed his hand on the doorknob and slowly twisted it to the left. The door swung open and Skulduggery almost started speaking. Almost.

He froze in the doorway, not wanting what was there, in front of his eyes, to be real.

Tanith was bruised, bleeding, burnt and broken, staring off into space from her curled up position on the floor. He wasn't sure if she was alive. He prayed it. He would have rushed over to her and carried her to the Bentley, breaking the speed limit to the Sanctuary. He would have called Ghastly and held his breath as a told him what had happened to Tanith. He would have comforted him while _he_ stared off into space, just like Tanith was now. He would have done all these things if he hadn't noticed the girl who was just about to jump out of the open window. She was wearing a smirk and had blood on her fingertips.

Darquesse smiled at Skulduggery before she launched from the window ledge and disappeared into the night.

Skulduggery dived to Tanith's side and flipped her over, taking in her broken limb, her seared hair, her wounded arm and her blackened eye. He took her pulse, sensing a faint beating through his bones and thanking God that she was still alive, even if this was only just true. He moved a piece of singed hair from her face then lifted her up, careful not to jostle her too much.

He didn't leave before something on the wall opposite him caught his eye. He turned slowly to see what it was, to see if it would disgust him or not.

On the pale wall, in Tanith's dark red blood, was written a message:

_Darquesse woz 'ere._

**Blimey, it did get a bit violent, didn't it? Sorry about that. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, any feedback you have is appreciated :D**


	7. Love Drunk

**Thank you ever so very much for your gorgeously flattering reviews, I'm sure I don't deserve some of the lovely things you've said. You people are what keep me writing, so thanks loads for your support. And sorry again for the late updating but it took me ages to get this chapter right. Also, the chapter title is from the song Love Drunk by Boys Like Girls, so credit for that goes to them. Enjoy :D **

**Carolina Blues xxx**

Felix let his head loll onto his shoulder as he sat against the wall of his dingy flat. It had no furniture, only a packet of cigarettes and a few beer bottles, one of which he lifted to his pale lips and took a half-hearted swig. It had been too long since he had seen her. _Darquesse_. Well, it had only been less than a day but he still felt gloomy without her. Before her, this had been his entire life.

Beer bottles and cigarettes.

However, now he only returned to this when she wasn't there. When she wasn't there, he dragged on his cigarettes just to see her image in the smoke. He would wince on the strength of the alcohol just to block out the pain he felt when his memories of her failed him. He never remembered her with justice. In his mind, her hair wasn't as glimmering, her skin wasn't as radiant, and her eyes weren't as deliciously _malicious. _That's why he would blink himself giddy when he saw her; just to rid the surprise that paralyzed him when he realized just how beautiful she really was. None of this made sense to him, however. He didn't know why he felt this for her, nor did he dare search his head to figure it out, in case he upturned some forgotten fragment that should have stayed in the shadow. He was sick. Drunk and sick and _tired _of it all. But wasn't he always? He had been drunk enough when he left the Necromancer Temple. He had been sick enough when he fell for a psychopath. He was tired enough when he opened another pack of cigarettes. Then another.

Felix, in his less that perfect state, held up his mangled hand in front of his face and realized something.

He had been in love with Darquesse long before he met her. Just the idea of her, in all her darkness, was enough for him.

He threw the bottle across the room with a grunt of effort and anger, watching it smash. The shards of ugly brown glass spurted from the point of impact like a shower, a couple of tiny grit-like pieces hitting his legs. He grudgingly got up, the weight of walking forcing his shoulders to droop, and kicked the broken fragments into a pile. Collapsing back against the wall beside the split glass, Felix ran his fingers through his hair.

_Life sucks_ he thought, as he opened a fourth bottle and let more alcohol burn away the hurt.

* * *

Skulduggery scooped up Tanith from the back-seat of the Bentley and ran as smoothly as he could to the entrance of the Sanctuary. He kicked open the door, yelling Ghastly's name, occasionally looking towards Tanith's unconscious face to check if she had got any paler. She was whiter than snow but still with the tiniest tine of blush in her cheeks that made him hopeful. Sanctuary agents flattened themselves against the walls to avoid a collision, still getting used to the fact that Skulduggery Pleasant wouldn't be running around the halls carrying an injured Valkyrie for a long while.

Skulduggery stopped at a crossroads section of the Sanctuary and went left. The surgery wasn't far away and he kept shouting Ghastly's name but no scarred Elder appeared from any of the doorways. He charged into the infirmary, not taking notice of the thing who called itself a 'doctor' that was stood in the corner.

After all the running, Skulduggery took a few deep breaths and gently placed Tanith on the hospital bed. Her arms were limp and eyes were closed in such tranquillity that she might as well be sleeping, if not for her wounds.

"I assume you wish for an examination?" Nye questioned from its corner, gesturing to Tanith.

Skulduggery nodded stiffly and made to retrieve Ghastly from wherever he was. He stopped himself before he reached the door handle.

"You dare do anything to her then you know how dead you will be when I get back," he said matter-of-factly.

Nye grinned its disgusting grin and ushered him out the door.

He headed for the throne room, not running anymore because he dreaded what he was about to do. Tanith was only just clinging to life. He didn't know how but he didn't question it either, failing to see the point.

Skulduggery had called Ghastly on his way to the Sanctuary but he wouldn't pick up. He was probably still furious with him after the Darquesse catastrophe. But he didn't care at the moment. He knew that Ghastly wouldn't care either when he found out about Tanith.

The throne room was only a few metres away and Skulduggery could hear Ghastly's deep voice through the walls.

"Why don't you just send some Cleavers to sort it out?" he heard him say.

Erskine's voice replied, "Because they're too inconspicuous. We're sending Skulduggery and Valkyrie."

There was a silence. Erskine took a breath, "No-no...You know what I mean. Just send Skul."

The door to the throne room opened. Erskine and Ghastly walked out in their robes with grim expressions on their face. They stopped when they laid eyes on Skulduggery and his blood soaked clothes.

None of them moved.

"What happened?" questioned Erskine warily. Ghastly had suddenly gone deathly pale.

"It's-"

"You've had another run-in with Darquesse, haven't you?"

"No, it's-"

"God, it's not Sanguine, is it? I can't deal with him right now."

"It's not Sanguine, it's-"

"For God's sake, Skul, will you stop getting into fights without telling us?"

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?!"

Ghastly and Erskine gulped. Skulduggery took a deep breath.

"It's Tanith."

And Ghastly was gone. His running footsteps disappeared down the corridor.

* * *

"She'll be fine. She always is."

Skulduggery's attempts to comfort Ghastly weren't working as the Elder sat with his head in his hands next to Tanith's bed. It had been a couple of hours since she had been brought to the Sanctuary

"I only just got her back," he croaked.

Skulduggery eyed Nye suspiciously, "I'm sure everything will be done to try and save her. I'll make sure of that."

Ghastly gazed longingly at Tanith's still form. The blood had been cleared from her body, only the open scars and ugly bruises remained. A nurse had brushed and washed Tanith's spoiled hair. It was no longer matted with blood but was burnt unevenly to the middle of her neck with several clumps of it no longer there, only severed tufts. The heart monitor to his right beeped steadily. It had annoyed him to begin with but he then realized that the frustrating noise was the only thing that told him Tanith was alive. After that, he clung to the beeping, happy that it was there.

"You will help her, though, won't you?" asked Ghastly, raising an eyebrow at Nye.

It laughed, its face contorting into something that resembled a condescending look.

"Please, I thought you two would have worked out that my knowledge of the medical sciences would never allow Miss Low to die. Obviously, I have overestimated your intelligence."

Skulduggery scoffed and got out his gun. "I wouldn't get too cocky."

Nye whimpered when Skulduggery pointed the gun at him and rushed off into its lab.

Ghastly laced his fingers into Tanith's cold hand.

"I can't believe this happened," he whispered, "I thought you said Darquesse was weak."

Skulduggery got up from his chair, not answering. Ghastly angled his head a fraction in the skeleton's direction.

"Skul?" he asked.

Skulduggery sighed. "Well, she was. I don't know where she got this sort of power," he replied, gesturing to Tanith.

Ghastly frowned. He felt broken. His Tanith was injured and dying because of Valkyrie. No, he knew that it was Darquesse that had done this but he couldn't help feeling…

"How strong does she have to be to overpower Valkyrie?"

Skulduggery turned, "I don't know, why?"

Ghastly clenched his teeth, "So, Valkyrie might have been able to stop this from happening if Darquesse wasn't strong enough?"

"Of course not!"

"Well, you told me; Valkyrie was powerful enough to make Darquesse let you and Dexter live. Why didn't she try to save Tanith?" Ghastly shouted.

"You know that Valkyrie can't help this and she hates it more than anyone! Why have you turned against her?"

Ghastly flung his hands out, "Who says that I've turned against her?! It's just a little hard to deal with the fact that one of my best friends is an evil world-destroyer and has just almost killed my girlfriend!"

Skulduggery coughed, exasperated, "Well, it's wonderful to know that you're taking it so well. You could always actually do something to find her instead of sulking in your office all the bloody live long day! At least Tanith is trying to help!"

"Yeah, and look where that got her."

A frosty silence filled the room, drowning out the noise of anything else. Both men shuffled awkwardly.

Skulduggery huffed, "Look, the bottom line is that none of what has happened to Tanith is Valkyrie's fault. So stop blaming her."

"No, the bottom line is that Tanith is currently on a hospital bed in a critical condition and I don't care who did it to her. But if Tanith doesn't get better then I'm going to find it very difficult to be responsible for my actions."

Skulduggery scowled inwardly and made a mental note to keep Ghastly as far away from Darquesse as possible.

Nye interrupted the quiet with a clearing of its throat.

"I do hate to disrupt this enjoyable argument but I have news for you on Miss Low's health."

Ghastly swallowed and silently prayed.

Nye continued, "I am sorry to say that Miss Low has severe damage to her left arm and her vocal cords. When she wakes up, and I promise I will do all in my power to make sure she does, her use of the arm will be impaired and it is extremely possible that she will not be able to speak. Again, I am sorry that I can't give you better results."

Ghastly collapsed into his chair and put his head back in his hands, murmuring softly to Tanith that everything was going to be alright.

Skulduggery uncomfortably patted his shoulder then left the room, slamming the door on the way out.

**Ooooh, a bit of conflict between Skulduggery and Ghastly. And sorry about Tanith, I couldn't just have her waking up immediately, now could I? So, um, hope you liked it. Any opinions on this chapter?**


	8. Halfway There

**I'M SORRY! Please forgive me! I couldn't think of what to write but I think I've pushed past the demon that is writers block. Hands up everyone who hates writers block?**

***hands go up***

**That's what I thought ;) Anyway, I distracted myself with publishing another story on here so I haven't totally abandoned you. **

**Carolina Blues xx**

The lighter in Felix's hand shook when he heard footsteps coming closer and closer. He put out the cigarette using the floor, leaving a circular burn-mark, and shakily got up. His head was still swimming with alcohol so his steps were awkward and unsure. He raised his fists to fight whoever came through that door, not that he'd be able to land a punch in his state.

"It's only me, Felix!" shouted the person on the other side of the living room door. Felix grinned sloppily, breathing out a laboured sigh of relief when the owner of the voice skipped into the room.

"I didn't want to Wander in here in case I scared you out of hell or something…"

Darquesse's black eyes took in the surroundings, frowning at the broken bottles and empty cigarette packets. She switched her eyes sharply back to Felix and tilted her head.

"What have you been up to?" she questioned, eyebrow raised.

He smiled lazily. "I haven't been doing nothing," he said, trying to make his slurred words as coherent as possible.

"You just used a double negative; would you like to rephrase that sentence?" she smirked.

Felix narrowed his eyes, trying to hide how pleased he was to see her. He had been right; his memories of weren't even close to the real thing. Her cold dark eyes were sparkling like black diamonds; hard and impenetrable. She stood with her hands on her hips, showcasing her slim figure and her shining hair fell to one side with the tilt of her head.

He mumbled something unintelligible and sat back on the ground. He picked up an empty bottle and swung it in his fingers.

"What are you doing here?" he muttered, hoping some hostility would mask his obsession with him even more so. Darquesse feigned hurt at his tone but sat down next to him. Darquesse began to reprimand him for drinking. Her face turned from the careless smirk to a thunderous scowl.

"I told you that you shouldn't do this anymore!" she shouted, gesturing harshly to the bottle in his hand, "You know how weak this makes you!"

Felix looked at her from under his eyelashes. He made his expression as apologetic as possible.

"I'm sorry," he strained, the words scorching his throat like the beer had. He didn't like saying sorry. Darquesse growled.

"You think that's going to work? Well, your apologies aren't going to help when all this bloody alcohol has made you sickly." She snapped her palm, forcing the air to throw the bottle to the other side of the room. Clutching her hair in frustration, she continued mumbling profanities about her drunken companion. Felix listened intently, smiling a little at some of the more descriptive insults. He dared to laugh.

Darquesse huffed. "You're never going to learn, are you?"

Felix chuckled louder. "Where did you disappear for all that time?"

Darquesse sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, combing it out. She composed herself and managed to plaster a pleasant look on her face.

"To teach my inner demons a lesson," she said.

Felix arched an eyebrow, "Demons?"

Darquesse sighed, "Yes, dear Felix, Valkyrie the inner demon. She thought that she had one up on me, she thought that her love for her friends would stop me from hurting them."

She scoffed then squeezed Felix's arm, "But thanks to you, I am strong enough to deny her."

Darquesse indulged in a smile, feeling truly thankful for the man next to her, or rather, the purpose her served. Felix smiled back, happily letting himself think that she was harbouring a secret love for him just because of the electricity that rushed through his veins when her arm brushed his.

"Where did you really go?" he asked sleepily, sensing the drowsiness settling in his mind. He didn't like it. If he closed his eyes then he would stop seeing her face.

Darquesse shrugged, "Like I said, to visit a friend. You remember Tanith Low?"

He nodded. "Yes. Blonde hair, blue eyes, sword. What happened?"

"I hurt her," she replied blankly, looking at her bloodied hands, as if hurting someone was the easiest thing in the world. Felix nodded again. He had grown accustomed to Darquesse's ways and had no objection to her love or injuring people. He had often wondered whether killing others would help fill his empty existence but he'd never had the chance to find out. But she looked confused in herself. Sad, even. She was never sad.

Felix swallowed, a headache forming in his head, replacing the dizziness that came with alcohol, "Are you okay?"

A look of disgust distorted her pretty face. "Okay? Okay!? Why wouldn't I be?" she yelled.

Felix panicked, her mood-change taking him off guard. His brain was fuzzy; he couldn't think of anything to say.

Darquesse got up. "What do you take me for?! I've killed before, why do you think this was any different?!"

"I just-"

"Just what?" she shouted, "Just what? You wondered whether you should care about my feelings. Whether you should worry about my well-being, if I was sad or depressed or distraught. That is _not _for you to care about. I look after myself."

Felix breathed out shakily as he watched Darquesse reach for the door.

_No, don't go_ he thought

He staggered to his feet, grasping at the air feebly while she moved ever-further away from him.

"Please stay," he slurred, "Don't go."

Darquesse turned, "Why should I?"

Felix shrugged, taking a nervous step towards her. "I don't want you to go."

"And that should change my outlook on this because…?" she snickered.

"Because…because…"

Darquesse crossed her arms and let a smirk rearrange her scowl, waiting for an answer. He felt like dirt, the way she treated him. Even though he loved her, she still treated him like a slave. But that was why he stayed, wasn't it? Because he loved her. Words drifted around in his clouded mind but he couldn't find the right thing to say. There was nothing that would keep her with him and he knew that. Nothing he said would change her mind. He cringed inwardly at the thought of her not being beside him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, begging for a reason for her to stay. Unless…

"Because, if you stay I promise you can take my strength when you need it," he blurted.

Darquesse raised a sceptical eyebrow, "But I can get power from anywhere. I have pick of the entire human race. What makes you so special?"

Felix sighed in happiness when the answer rolled off the tongue, "It would be more convenient, wouldn't it? You wouldn't have to kill anyone; you could just come back to me."

She faltered. No harsh comments jumped up her throat, waiting to bite. It was true; she wouldn't find anyone else willing to be her go-to power charger. She nibbled on her lip.

"Fine, I'll stay."

Felix grinned in triumph. He gladly collapsed back onto the floor on the brink of a head-rush. "Give me some power, then," she ordered.

Felix's eyes widened, "Now?! You can't get angry with me for asking if you were okay then demand to force the strength out of me!"

Darquesse glowered, "So your last offer was complete rubbish?"

It was Felix's turn to falter. "No…no… I just…It's like treading on eggshells with you. I can't do anything right. And your mood swings! One minute you're thanking the existence of me then you're wishing I'd never been born!"

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Then do you promise that you'll be more in control of your emotions?"

Darquesse narrowed her eyes, "You don't ask things of me."

Felix put on a commanding tone of voice, "Promise! Then you can have the last of my power."

"The last?"

"I imagine that it would take a couple of days for me to heal."

Darquesse sighed and massaged her forehead, "Okay then! I'll try to be more…emotionally-stable. Can you now let me feed?"

Felix bit his lip. "I have one more condition."

He could see the frustration build up behind her eyes. The anger made her fingers tense.

"What?" she said through her teeth.

Felix let the drunkenness take over his mouth and jaw, allowing it to free the things he really wanted to say. He took a deep breath, regretting the words as they left his mouth, "A kiss."

Darquesse gaped, the first time she had let-on surprise while she had known him. Everything in her mind contradicted what she had just heard _A kiss?! _She frowned, still gasping. Felix wouldn't want a kiss, this was the alcohol talking, and she was sure. But he had sounded so firm and unyielding. Was she…_desirable?_ Did _he_ think she was desirable? She shook her head and composed herself, blinking and levelling her shoulders.

"Are you really that drunk?"

Felix mentally slapped himself. Why had he said that? He had just let his best-kept secret free into the frosty silence between them both. And he could tell that she knew. Why else would he have asked for a kiss of all things? And from her? Most people would gag at the thought of kissing Darquesse, but only because of what she stood for. Felix loved her because of all that and _more_.

He tensed when he heard a breath of air escape Darquesse's lips as she began to speak.

"You first."

Felix cocked his head in confusion. _You first?_

When she spoke again she spoke slowly, as if considering the words as they fell from her mouth, "You give me power and then you get a kiss."

His jaw dropped.

Darquesse took no notice and immediately rushed to his side, pulled him up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her forehead against his. Felix's breathing shook, loving the closeness of her but scared of it all the same. Darquesse squeezed her eyes shut and began. She hadn't argued, she hadn't protested. Felix allowed the tiniest most optimistic part of him to believe that she felt something or him too.

The life force left Felix's body in shadows and instantaneously disappeared into the air around Darquesse. Colour flooded her pale cheeks and her eyes were a little shinier when she opened them. Felix coughed and gagged for air, his blood growing colder. He almost pushed her away but then she wouldn't keep her side of the deal. His skin got ever paler and, for a moment, he wondered if she would steal from him until he died.

But no, in the end, her grip on his life loosened and she supported him when he threatened to fall backwards. She kept her arms around his neck and her forehead against his. He slowly moved his almost lifeless arm from his side and dared to wrap them around her waist. She tensed but didn't pull away. Felix didn't move from then on.

Darquesse moved her head so her lips were directly in front of his. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his face. He could feel her hands knot in his hair. He could hear the sound of her lips parting. He could smell the perfume she was wearing. He had been so _so_ close.

And then, without giving a kiss, without fulfilling her part of the deal and without closing the living room door behind her…

She was gone.

**I'm sorry, Felix! :'( Feedback, as always, is appreciated :D**


	9. Miss Hunter And Mr Hunted

**Uggh… Sorry, I'm got an awful cold and I can't go outside in the snow because I'll probably die or something. Ignore my whinging and exaggerating; I'm just feeling sorry for myself. It's pathetic, I know. Anyway, I can't apologise enough for my late updating but I don't have any excuses apart from being ill and lazy. If you get bored of waiting for me to update then just send me a persuasive PM and I'll get going ;) But still, enjoy. **

**Carolina Blues x**

Darquesse sprinted from the dingy house, ignoring the baffled looks of the one or two straggly passers-by. She assumed they were mortals but didn't stop to sense if they had magic. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Her head was stuffed full of thoughts and regrets; it was so terribly crowded. She could feel her breathing get heavier and a burning drowsiness spread through her muscles like disease as she forced her legs to run faster. She needed to get into a secluded area so she could Wander far away from that mess. She took a sharp right turn, her black lace-up boots scuffing on the pavement, into the narrow alleyway she knew too well. Not slowing down, she ran with the alley as it went deeper and further into the small town she was in, twisting in and out the houses like a vein. When she couldn't sprint anymore, she collapsed against the wall and slammed her hand back against the stone, almost drawing blood on the jagged rock. Did she care? No, because she had possibly just lost her only friend in the world.

"Why me?" she asked out loud, exasperated. Her world had crumbled around her and she couldn't have put it back together even if she tried. She could fix it with an apology, maybe. But who was she to say sorry? More importantly, why should she? She did nothing wrong, in her eyes, black and sinister though they were. She hadn't fathomed that Felix had felt something for her; she was above the childishness of_ love. _And still, even though she was newly empowered after her last feed, she felt weaker than she ever had before because…Well, because she had admitted to herself that there was a miniscule, perhaps, infinitesimal part of her that…maybe wanted, just maybe wanted to kiss hi-

She shook her head, defiantly. No, she couldn't even think it. It was far too impossible, far to unlike her. Darquesse didn't fall in love. Not even an infatuation would even cross her dark and twisted mind. And Felix was a fool to think she would fulfil her trivial side of the bargain.

A kiss? Really? He could have asked her for anything in the world, not that she would give it to him, and he asked for a kiss.

But the thing was, she had planned to kiss him as she had wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his. She had had every intention to go through with it because, well…. She didn't know why. Maybe it was best to run, to avoid complications between them. And yet, there seemed to be more complications than there would have been. God, did she hate that man for doing this to her.

Darquesse smashed her hand against the wall, ignoring the piece of rock that splintered off and the cloud of dust that billowed on to her, covering her jacket sleeve with a layer of tiny rock fragments. She needed to reaffirm her godliness, to reassure herself that she was still brilliant and emotionless and so much more powerful than Valkyrie. Not that she'd ever admit that she needed reassurance.

She closed her eyes and Wandered in a whirlwind of shadow, knowing exactly how to get her self-confidence back and knowing exactly where to go.

* * *

Skulduggery had been pacing the hallway outside the surgery for the last twenty minutes, waiting for Ghastly to appear, hopefully with a smile on his face and possibly with Tanith by his side. Of course, it didn't happen and Skulduggery couldn't bring himself to go back in to comfort Ghastly after their fight. He still couldn't believe he had said those things about Valkyrie, how he could have blamed her for what happened to Tanith.

He sat down on the plastic blue chair on the right of the surgery door and took his hat off, tossing it to the floor beside him. Something echoed in the silent hallway, like the tapping of shoes on the cold floor. It was coming from around the corner to his left. Skulduggery looked up in suspicion, curious as to who it was. A lot of the agents would have gone home and Erskine would be in his office. Of course it was entirely possible that the Grand Mage could have gone for a walk but, knowing Erskine, he would probably be asleep with his head on his desk. Skulduggery cautiously got up to investigate, over-reacting obviously but he wasn't in the mood for anything less than silence. He tried to make as little noise as possible, even managing to control the clicking of his bones. Sighing when the footsteps stopped, he made to leave, noting his reflection in the mirror on the far wall to his right as he made his way towards it. Something in the mirror caught his eye. Something black, like a wisp of smoke.

The Necromancy shadow took wing like a black dove, floating on a breeze that didn't exist and slowly descending to the floor like a shred of tissue paper. It rolled a couple of times, getting closer to him in the reflection of the mirror. The shadow seemed to taunt him, goading him to turn around. Skulduggery wasn't stupid though. Whatever had sent that shadow was just around the corner and he didn't want to face it. He closed his imaginary eyes, uncharacteristically unenthusiastic to get into trouble. It wasn't the same without Valkyrie there.

It was so quiet he could almost hear the shadow move. He couldn't even listen to Ghastly quietly whispering to Tanith in the next room anymore.

And then…a humming.

_Da da-da daa da daa daaa, da da-da da da daaa._

Skulduggery tensed, his finger joints snapping and his posture straightening as the humming got louder. The mirror opposite him would reveal who it was but, somehow, he didn't want to know so he kept his eyes firmly shut. He hoped that he could slowly edge down hallway without being damaged, taking a step forward to get further away.

_Da da-da daaa da daaa da da, da da-da daa da daaa. _

The familiar tune forced a shiver to run across him. He recognised it. He was sure he had heard it before in a film Valkyrie and Tanith had watched that one evening they had a day off.

The fond memories of long-ago days blocked out the humming for a second but he was soon dragged out of his mind when the steps behind him resumed. The noise of the _tap tap tap _ricocheteddown the long hallway.

He jolted his hand to the gun in his jacket and squeezed the trigger as hard as he could without firing.

_Tap tap tap._

He tried to move, to run away like he should but…His legs didn't move.

What was wrong with him?

_Tap tap tap._

Why couldn't he run?

_Tap tap tap._

It was as if the humming, the shadow, the footsteps had all generated a thought in his mind, an idea of who it was.

_Tap tap tap_

The thought had infected his head with the ridiculousness of hope that he wasn't in danger because, if he was right, he still wished that this person wouldn't _be _a threat. The truth?

He was wrong.

The tapping of heels stopped.

And there he was. Targeted. Nowhere to go. He could've tried to force his legs to run but there wasn't a point.

He felt the steps move to right behind him. He could hear the ragged exhale of the hunter, he could sense the presence in the air.

Skulduggery shook a little as he felt breath on his neck, as he felt hair brush against his cheekbone.

What had been thinking? Why didn't run when he had the chance? He even felt unknown fear ease into his bones.

And when that person spoke, he realized that it could never have been anyone else.

Darquesse smiled as she sensed Skulduggery try to turn to face her after he had been too _terrified_ to do so before.

"Don't turn around, dear," she purred, mockingly, "You know I'll only hurt you."

**Yep. That is **_**flawed.**_** Anyway hope you enjoyed it and sorry again for not updating in ages. Any thoughts? **

**Oh, and ShegoRulz, I'm working on the next chapter of Stargazer right now so it should be updated in a few days. :D xxx**


	10. A Twist In The Tale, Trickery And All

**Yep. I'm a bad updater. It is **_**official. **_**I'm so sorry, really, I've just been a bit busy with schoolwork at the moment so there has been no time at all for writing. I'd much rather be Fanfiction-ing so I'm going to try and update every couple of weeks instead of leaving almost a month between chapter. Anyway I hope you enjoy this late and possibly rubbish chapter. :D**

**Carolina Blues x**

"How have you been, handsome? Missed me?"

Skulduggery clenched his jaw against the oncoming retort, knowing that her seemingly 'good' mood was temperamental.

Darquesse huffed and pouted, "Not talking, huh?"

He kept his eyes shut and thanked God that he still had his hand tensed tightly on the trigger of his revolver. But what could he do? Shoot her? No, she would only smile at him and heal herself. Could he talk her out of the inevitable attack that was forming in her twisted head? Probably not. Still, what did he have to lose? Only his life.

Or existence, in fact.

He cleared his throat and opened his make-believe eyes, the image of his arch-nemesis and best friend slowly blinking into existence in the mirror opposite him. He regretted it instantly as the reality of it all followed the hurt he felt when he saw the hate for him in his former partner's eyes. However, only her eyes gave her away. Only those dark and sinister eyes convinced him that it wasn't Valkyrie, other than the anger in her words. Everything else was the same. Her face, that _smile_. That glistening smile was still charming and lovely but Skulduggery knew that it was only painted on.

"I'd rather like you to put that gun down," she whispered, leaning in closer so that her face was beside his skull. Her voice, too, was a change from Valkyrie's own biting tone. Darquesse's voice was softer than silk and smoother than marble. It caressed the words that passed her lips like each and every one of them was gorgeous and loving even if she was murmuring about murder. Skulduggery hated that, among other things.

"I really don't feel comfortable with that," he spat, infuriated. She sighed again, letting her breath touch upon his cheekbone. He swallowed.

Darquesse chuckled.

"I suppose there's no point," she sighed, "You'd only find something else to use against me."

She stepped back and Skulduggery breathed out. His vision was glued to her reflection in the mirror as she paced behind him, twirling occasionally, the tips of her hair fanning out in the momentum. She kept it up for about a minute before Skulduggery narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"What are you doing?" he asked, recoiling inwardly at the thought of engaging in conversation with the creature that had overpowered Valkyrie, but he couldn't bear it any longer.

She tilted her head. "Why, I'm waiting for you to turn round!"

Skulduggery's grip squeezed ever tighter on the gun. "But you'll only hurt me," he quoted.

Darquesse laughed, "Well, of course I will! But don't you want to try and convince me to let your poor beloved partner go? That's how these meetings normally go, isn't it?"

Skulduggery gritted his teeth but didn't answer. His bones were fear-frozen and his head was screaming at him not to look at her but how could he not? After all, it was Valkyrie's face that Darquesse was wearing and he would be glad to see it again, if only for a split second.

Refusing to think about it anymore Skulduggery swivelled around, only to be deafened by a shrilling shriek.

Shadows were rolling off Darquesse's body and spilling onto the ground like a dark, smoky waterfall. She rose up off the ground and threw her arms back.

"What's going on?!" yelled Skulduggery, clamping his hands over his imaginary ears.

Darquesse opened her mouth, letting more shadows pour out and add to the ever-growing pool on the ground. The shriek became a humming in Skulduggery's head – painful and relentless. The door to his right opened and Ghastly rushed out, panic in his eyes.

His breath got lodged in his throat as he saw Darquesse almost completely encased in darkness. He quickly clutched the sides of his head to silence the scream but the constancy of it eased through his fingertips and carried on squirming in his mind.

"Skulduggery?!"

Skulduggery looked around and gasped in relief at the thought of not being alone against the terrible demonic force.

The undulating shadows on the ground reached Skulduggery's shoes and began pushing him back. Ghastly edged around the darkness and joined Skulduggery.

"What's happening?!" he shouted. He wondered if anyone else was still in the Sanctuary. He doubted it; they probably would have rushed to the scene. Nye had refused to look up from his work when the screech first started. It had probably heard so many over the years that the sound of people calling for help had become its very own background music.

"I don't bloody know, do I?" he shouted back.

Darquesse's eyes were completely black, as if they weren't there at all, and all Skulduggery could see were the hollows where they used to be.

The skeleton felt impossibly faint as if all the sounds in the world had been replaced by the scream.

"I've got to stop this," he muttered. He took a step into the shadows.

"Skulduggery, what are you doing?!" Ghastly bellowed.

He didn't answer but carried on wading through the mud-like darkness, ignoring Ghastly's cries to stop.

"Darquesse!"

Darquesse only screamed in reply, the volume perhaps gaining a decibel.

"Darquesse, stop this now!"

He wasn't entirely sure that she was controlling it, but it did seem like her to try to scare the hell out of him. No, it seemed more like Valkyrie.

Skulduggery stood in front of Darquesse, only standing up to her waist considering she had defied gravity. He kissed goodbye his ability to hear and grudgingly removed his hands from his ears. It was almost agony.

"DARQUESSE!" Skulduggery reached out, his hand almost pushed back by the sheer volume, and tugged on her sleeve…

And it ended.

Darquesse buckled in on herself and collapsed to the floor. The shadows pulled back to her like water pulls back off the beach before a tsunami and dissipated into her clothing. Her eyes were closed and her eyeliner was smudged.

Skulduggery put an arm under her shoulders and shook her.

"Don't touch her," Ghastly ordered. Skulduggery ignored him again, forcing her eyes open to look at her pupils.

"She's unresponsive. We need to get Nye to look at her."

Skulduggery went to pick her up but a movement in the eyelids of the girl stopped him in his tracks. Her fingers stretched and gripped at the air again and again while her eyelids flickered infuriatingly. They flickered in the way they twitch while having a dream.

"Valk- Darquesse?" he whispered.

Ghastly tripped forwards, still lightheaded from the screaming. "Skulduggery, if you help her then I'll have no choice but to jail you."

"I'm not helping her. I'm just seeing if she wakes up."

"And then what?"

Skulduggery huffed, "If it's Valkyrie then I will get her to Nye and fix her up; you will not get in my way. If it's Darquesse then I won't let you hurt her because both you and I know that it's Valkyrie inside. You would never forgive yourself if you hurt her."

Ghastly glared blankly at his best friend's skull as he looked down at the girl he barely knew anymore.

Skulduggery continued, "And I certainly wouldn't forgive you."

With that, both of their pulses probably stopped for a second as the girl's eyelids blinked open, revealing the most beautiful brown eyes that were warmer than blood and deeper than the wounds she had accumulated over the years.

"Val?" Skulduggery choked out.

Valkyrie frowned, "What do you want? I'm tired."

"Valkyrie, is that you?"

She huffed, "Do I look like me?"

"Yes."

"Then I think that's pretty conclusive evidence. You're a detective, right? I thought you were meant to be good at looking for clues."

Skulduggery stammered, his jaw open. He could hear Ghastly slowly approach.

"Valkyrie?" the tailor asked, trying to come to grips with the situation.

"Oh, Jesus," she muttered, "Look, dude, seriously, I thought we had covered this. I'm back. And, Skul, you can let me down."

Skulduggery almost dropped her, his mind frowning. Back? She was back?

They both just stood there. There mouths were wide open and Valkyrie could only wave.

"Er…hello?" she said, clicking her fingers in front of them.

Skulduggery took a baby step towards her. "You're…back?"

"Yep."

"For real?"

"Uh-huh."

Skulduggery circled her and blinked. Every time he opened his non-existent eyes, she was still there, eyebrows raised.

"Skul, has there been any reports from an asylum about missing patients? Because I think I found one," she said, pointing at him.

Skulduggery almost fainted. Not only was she quite on her feet but she was bantering?

He poked her.

"Are you real?"

"I think so," she mumbled, "Unless I'm a figment of both your imaginations. Hey, maybe I'm a figment of my imagination."

"That doesn't make sense."

She chuckled, "No, it didn't make sense when you said that to me when we met for the second time. Do you remember?"

He nodded, "Yes I do. Um…Valkyrie?"

"Yes?"

He strode forwards and wrapped his bony arms around her, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. She laughed and returned his embrace.

"So you _have _missed me?"

Skulduggery nodded again.

Ghastly was still rubbing his head. He was so confused. Everything had happened so fast, it was so unlikely. But he had evidence right before his eyes. Valkyrie Cain was right there in front of him.

Valkyrie stretched up on her toes so she could talk in Skulduggery's ear.

"Skul?"

"Yes?"

"Did you know that the sparrow flies south for the winter?"

Ghastly's eyes widened as he watched Valkyrie's face contort into an evil grin and her eyes turned black.

It was all a trick.

There was no Valkyrie. Only Darquesse.

"No, Skulduggery!" he shouted.

But Darquesse had already Wandered, taking Skulduggery with her.

**Hope you liked it! If I even still have any readers, some feedback would be appreciated. I loved writing this chapter and I'll see you in a couple of weeks :D x**


	11. The B Team

**Put down the gun! Please don't throw anything at me! I know, I promised I'd update in a couple of weeks and I didn't so I'm going to stop making update promises I can't keep. I really am sorry, I've been busy with my Les Mis fic and schoolwork is hell at the moment. Yell at me in a review, if you wish, I don't mind. Also, thank you so much for getting the review count over 100. Your reviews mean the world, honestly. **

**Oh yeah, I've changed my pen name, so don't worry, I'm still me *waves*. Yes, I'm also aware that my new pen name sounds a little like a Middle Eastern spice but what the hell, right? Okay, so onto the chapter…**

**Ginger Anastase x**

Ghastly stood, statuesque, in the middle of the corridor, glaring at the place where both skeleton and evil used to be as if he was trying to forget all about it.

He raised his hand to his eyes, considering gouging them out, and covered them in exasperation.

"Yep, this is bad. This is really really bad," he muttered. He knew something hadn't been right. Valkyrie couldn't have come back so quickly, they were both fools to think that she had. He thought about all the screaming and the shadows and how her eyes had turned brown. That was just all for show, he assumed, it was just all a trick. If Darquesse had learnt how to teleport like she had just then, Ghastly was pretty sure she could have learnt how to change her eye colour. For a moment, Ghastly wanted to go back into Nye's surgery to watch over Tanith until she woke but then realized that that probably wasn't the most important thing right now. To him it was, but to the Sanctuary, Erskine and, most likely Skulduggery, getting the skeleton back was blaring Code Red in his mind. Fair enough, they didn't have a Code Red but if they did he was sure it would have meant 'drop everything and go and do something to help'.

He began running to Erskine's office so slowly at first that he wasn't even sure he was moving but he quickened when the weight of the situation crushed down on his mind as if the Leaning Tower of Pisa had finally leaned too far and fallen on him. The double doors to Erskine's room were getting closer, and, now he thought about it, Erskine should have heard the screaming. Ghastly was certain his ear drum had probably burst at some point but he couldn't be sure, he was no doctor. Then again, he would probably realise if his ear drum had burst.

"Stop babbling," Ghastly told his mind.

He ran faster, so fast in fact that he had to skid to a stop to avoid an embarrassing collision with the door. He knocked hastily. And again. He sighed before shoving open the door.

"Oh for crying out loud," he muttered when he found Erskine asleep with his head buried in several important looking papers on his desk.

"Erskine!" he shouted, giving him a shove.

The Grand Mage just shifted and flapped his hand in Ghastly's general direction, still asleep.

"Erskine!" he repeated with a shake of his shoulders.

Sleeping Beauty snored lightly then made a noise halfway between a yawn and a roar.

"But Toki…" whispered Erskine in his slumber, "You're so adorable…They'll love your new song…."

Ghastly frowned and picked up the glass of water on the desk. He slowly poured the contents into Erskine's ear.

"Aargh! What – I…what?" the victim grumbled, rubbing his eyes and letting them get used to the light.

Ghastly sighed, this time in relief, and thwacked Erskine over the head.

"What is it?" he mumbled groggily.

Ghastly rolled his eyes and started pacing. "Skulduggery's gone."

Erskine jumped up from his seat like someone had just put ice down his back (he hates that) and started shouting profanities.

His friend ignored the cussing. "Darquesse took him. Didn't you hear the screaming?"

The other frowned and shook his head, a droplet of water flying off his face. He then blinked frantically and threw his arms out. "Well, we've got to do something!"

Ghastly nodded. "Yes we do, now stop sleeping and _help_ me do something. Which reminds me, who is Toki? You were talking about him."

Erskine winced. "Er…just someone I met in Norway."

"I hear he's adorable," Ghastly said, smirking.

The Grand Mage narrowed his eyes evilly but otherwise shook the teasing off. "What do we do about Skulduggery?"

"I don't know. I've got know idea where she could have taken him."

Erskine stood taller. "Well, we'll just have to find him!"

Ghastly face-palmed. "You think?" he said with a sardonic smile.

They both were pacing in unison, their minds racing. Not that they'd like to admit it but they were worried about Skulduggery. Sure, he might be able to fend Darquesse off but she knew so much about him that she would be able to get into his head like no other.

"She could have taken him to anywhere in the world if she's learnt how to teleport. This is impossible," muttered Ghastly into his palm.

Erskine shook his head. "But what's the point in taking him to anywhere really far away if she just wants to fight him?"

"Valkyrie always did want to go to America."

"Okay one, if they've gone to America, I'm going to kill myself," exclaimed Erskine, "and two, this isn't Valkyrie we're talking about. This is World-Destroying-Princess-Of-Death-And-Darkness."

Ghastly raised his head from his hands. "Valkyrie and Darquesse are the same people, just different personalities."

"That doesn't make any sense. Look, we'll just have to look everywhere. We'll get guns to fight her with. We'll be like The A Team."

Ghastly raised an eyebrow and barked out a cold laugh. "The A Team was awesome and had Bruce Willis. We are like…we're like The B Team and we have you."

Erskine scowled and dragged Ghastly over to his desk.

"Fine, we're The B Team," he said, "We'll get a map and mark out the most plausible places she could have gone."

"That's the only plan we've got?" asked Ghastly wearily, not really looking for an answer. Erskine swallowed and realised just how hopeless they were. There weren't many sorcerers in the Sanctuary to help and there was no point in sending Cleavers to places they weren't even sure Darquesse could be. They shared a tired look and shrugged.

"Yep," replied Erskine, unfolding a map.

Ghastly huffed. "How you became Grand Mage I'll never know."

**Ick, that was way too short. I don't **_**think**_** it'll take me too long to update but I don't know. I'll try anyway, I hate disappointing people. Toki's Little Helper, I hope you enjoyed your Metalocalypse reference :D If I have any readers left then feedback is really appreciated. Love you all and thanks for reading. The next chapter will be Darquesse and Skulduggery's confrontation. **


	12. Power Complex

**Warning: One use of bad language**

**Hey…what's this? A relatively early up date? WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME? Review replies…**

**Justrockzyxxx – I promise I'll try! Thanks for reading :D**

**Toki's Little Helper – Well, I **_**am **_**pure evil :D No problem, the reference made me happy.**

**Sapphire Iota – I was wondering where you'd gone! Thanks for the review! Yeah, when I read it back it didn't flow very well for me either. Thanks for reading my Les Mis stories, I'm quite proud that I've managed to pry myself away from the Skulduggery Pleaseant fandom :D**

**September Silver – Thanks! I wanted to make how they interact quite funny, I'm glad you liked it.**

**Summer Rosewood – I did almost get hit by a car but I'm not dead, which is always a good thing :D Yeah…I'm sorry for the late updates *hangs head in shame*. Thanks for reviewing. **

**Phoebe711 – Wow, thanks, I'm so glad you're enjoying! I totally agree with you on the Darquesse thing, now that I've read back over the chapters I can see that she is a bit too humane. I'm going to work on that, thanks for pointing it out :D**

**Louisiana Stephenic – I do so enjoy cliffhangers, though! People writing fanfics about my fanfic? That would be pretty awesome… Thanks for reading :D**

**And onto the chapter…**

**Ginger Anastase x**

Darquesse and Skulduggery appeared in the alleyway with a thud.

"Let go," was the first thing Skulduggery said in a voice that, if he had been talking to anyone else, wouldn't have been disobeyed.

Darquesse scoffed and wrapped some shadows around his arms so they were forced behind his back. She jumped twice, each time getting higher into the air, until she blasted up into the dark sky. The shadows that handcuffed Skulduggery stretched with her like dark elastic as she gained altitude. He didn't look up when she disappeared into the canopy of tress that leant over the alleyway to check for surrounding mortals; he only sat down and bent his head.

It was a few minutes before she shot back down, causing dust and dirt to fly up as she landed with a less than delicate thump.

Skulduggery hadn't tried to get away for the attempt would be futile, he only sat, silent, with his back against the wall and his legs crossed.

Darquesse crouched in front of him.

"I have some questions for you," she stated. He didn't respond.

She continued. "I understand that collecting you for questioning wasn't the best idea but I needed to interrogate someone and you were the first to hand."

Skulduggery raised his head a little just to bring her into view. The rim of his hat was blocking her eyes from his vision but he was glad of that. He preferred not seeing her eyes. They were too dark.

"Does the Sanctuary have any plans against my ideal?" she asked firmly. When he didn't answer she tugged off her shadow restrictions, replacing them with her own hands. He remained silent so she tightened her grip. Both his hands clicked off and fell out of his sleeves. He gritted his teeth but a whimper still grudgingly escaped from his mouth. She grinned sinisterly, her own teeth glinting.

"I did it!" she exclaimed.

Skulduggery barely noticed. His entire being was still concentrating on the pain in his wrists and, more importantly, on not showing the relative agony he was in.

"Valkyrie's not so strong now is she?" she taunted, "I tell you the truth; I didn't really want to interrogate you. Well, I could do but, I guess, I was just looking to prove that I can hurt anyone I want and _she _can't do anything about it."

Her smile was broad, bordering on a baring of teeth.

"Now that I think about it, it would really help to find out exactly what the Sanctuary is doing about me… Will you be obliging?"

He didn't say anything. Her face darkened and she snarled.

"You will be obliging!" she sneered disdainfully.

She heard him clear his throat.

"You want someone whose hands you just snapped off to be obliging? Good luck with that."

She growled and stamped on his leg. It broke and Skulduggery yelled. It had only been severed, it hadn't completely come off, but the skin of bone that was clinging on to the rest of his leg was tearing.

"Why don't you just kill me?" he wheezed.

Her smile was back. "What good would that do? You know my favourite thing is to make Valkyrie unhappy and she is not best pleased with me just now."

The sharp pain in his leg had dimmed but was replaced by an unbearable ache that strengthened every time he moved.

"Now you are going to tell me what the Sanctuary is doing about me or do you want to have the other leg snapped off?" she threatened.

He was quiet again, apart from the heavy breaths he was taking to try and keep the pain under control.

"Would it help if I looked like Valkyrie?"

She was smiling menacingly as her eyes lightened to dark brown and her skin tanned . The shadows disappeared from under her eyes and her face fleshed out a little so it looked healthy instead of gaunt. If it had been another situation then Skulduggery would have been a little impressed at the effortless transformation but it was made bittersweet. The last time he had seen Valkyrie was only minutes ago when he had been so happy she was back. It was a dangerous memory that made him want to snap Darquesse's neck.

But then what would happen to Valkyrie?

"Stop it," he muttered, refusing to look at her.

Her face switched back to Darquesse again, thinning, shading and darkening to achieve to appearance of pure evil.

"I don't think you appreciate how difficult that is," she said, "I am, effectively, letting Valkyrie free a tiny bit just to acquire her appearance. I do rather like how she looks, don't you? That's why you keep her around, right?"

He shifted angrily, that close to punching her in the face. He then realised that he didn't have any hands.

"I don't keep people around because of how attractive they are," he spat.

Darquesse tilted her head teasingly. "You think she's pretty, no?"

"Of course she's pretty," he admitted, "You however are not. In fact just looking at you makes me want to throw up my non-existent stomach."

"Good luck with that, skeleton."

For a second, it actually felt like he was talking to Valkyrie. Her comeback was unmistakable. Sure, her voice was darker and sexier and her insults tended to be more biting but it was there.

"Stop it!" Skulduggery roared, "Stop stealing from Valkyrie! She should be the one being sarcastic! She should be the one putting down anything I say! GET OUT OF HER BODY!"

Darquesse blinked a little at the outburst but otherwise remained composed.

"Sorry, dear, I like it here."

Skulduggery gritted his teeth. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

She scoffed. "You don't know? I want to destroy the world, silly."

"And why's that?"

"Because I enjoy chaos. It makes me feel warm and fluffy inside."

He tensed a little at her mercilessness and shouted out; the stiffening of his bones caused his broken leg to burn his nerve endings.

"And you're sure you hate me?" he breathed heavily. It was almost unbearable.

"I'm sure. You amuse me, is all. I like to keep you around."

Skulduggery nodded. "I am amusing. But I don't think you've got that much control over hating me. Valkyrie is still pretty present."

She scoffed again. "And what would make you think that?"

"Because for the last two minutes, you've been reattaching my hands to my wrists under Valkyrie's control without you noticing."

Darquesse looked down at her hands as they clicked together the last unconnected bone of his hand to his wrist. She jumped back and screamed in rage, levitating in anguish.

"How dare she control me!? I was so powerful! I broke you up!" she shrieked.

Skulduggery flexed his fingers to test them and sighed in dry happiness as the pain in his wrists weakened.

"And she fixed me back together. She is such a clever girl," he whispered proudly.

Darquesse yelled wordlessly, shadows adorning her and seeming to pour off her much like she had done in the hallway.

"You're like a child, Darquesse. When you don't get your way, you throw a tantrum. It's all for show," he muttered, "Which reminds me, all that in the Sanctuary, all the screaming and all the shadows, was that all for show?"

"I did that to make you think that that process got Valkyrie back. It was all for show, yes," she bit, "I isolated the screaming to just that section of the hallway. See I can be a clever girl too."

She was running her fingernails down her face like she wanted to tear the skin off.

"All I wanted to do was to feel powerful! You've got no idea what it is like being me! You've got no idea what it's like sharing your mind with someone so different from yourself," she spat, "And then there's Felix. The bastard has made me doubt myself more than you but I hate you both!"

She raised her head and landed back on the ground, ignoring the confused tilt of Skulduggery's head at the mention of Felix.

"But I won't doubt myself anymore."

She reached down and grabbed at the sparkly magic casing around Skulduggery's throat. He would scream at the agony but the sound came out dry and shocked. Darquesse lifted him off the ground.

"You know, Valkyrie really is a much cleverer girl than you," he said, strangulated, "because she didn't make you fix my leg. She made you fix my hands."

She laughed sinisterly. "But if she fixed your leg, which she couldn't with the damage I caused, then you would've been able to run."

Her grip tightened around his throat and he cried out.

"But with my hands fixed, Valkyrie knew," he choked, "that I would be able to do this."

He snapped his palms against the air and shot up into the sky, slipping out of Darquesse's grasp like water.

It was exhausting but he needed to go fast to get away from her, she could go after him.

He looked behind him wincing as the cold air hit his leg, it was barely clinging on, but he saw no pursuer. The sky was dark as he turned his gaze towards it and away from the even darker substance in the alleyway he had had left behind.

Skulduggery made his way in whatever direction he thought was right for he had no idea where he was nor which way the Sanctuary might be. He just prayed to God that his leg wouldn't drop off into the street as he glided over the rooftops, forever looking over his shoulder.

**I'm not going to lie, that was possibly my favourite chapter and I hoped you like it too. I did almost cry laughing when I had to write 'sparkly magic casing'. I mean, are you kidding me? Feedback is loved and you will get a cookie (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) **


	13. Isla

**I'm really sorry for the delay, guys, but I haven't been being lazy for once. This chapter actually took this long to write. I don't know what's wrong with me. I think being on tumblr so much has melted my brain. Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews and for putting up with me. Thanks for sticking with the story :).**

**Ginger Anastase**

Darquesse sat with her knees up to chest and her head down, leaning against the alleyway wall. Her hands had been set into claws for the last five minutes just because, if she didn't keep the most vital part of her defensive body tensed and useless, she would most likely be enticed to kill a random passer-by and God knows she couldn't be bothered to go through the motions of hiding/incinerating the body. Although, a deliciously graphic death would probably cheer her up as much as an evil psychopath could be cheered up.

The thought almost put her in a better mood. She was biting her tongue to the point of it tearing and oozing out in globules of blood just to stop herself from destroying the alleyway but the idea of inflicting agony lightened the insides of her head. The insides of her head probably looked like the insides of a cat's just after it failed at catching the mouse it had its sights set on. It was a strange metaphor that jumped to the forefront of her mind and it didn't even fit the situation quite rightly. In no way could Skulduggery Pleasant be likened to a small rodent that dwells in the inner layers of a house's walls but the similarity between Darquesse and the dangerous slinky qualities of a cat was unmistakeable.

To distract herself, she hummed a song that Valkyrie knew. Darquesse didn't know what the song was and she didn't have the energy to rifle through Valkyrie's memories to find out but it served its purpose of controlling her anger. She wasn't used to controlling her anger; she was used to expelling it on other people whenever she felt like it. However, throwing this rage on someone else, some random mortal, wouldn't be enough to quell it, to quench it. It was Mr Pleasant who had made her so angry and it was Mr Pleasant who would deal with the consequences. Karma.

_He always hated karma_.

_Leave me be, Valkyrie _Darquesse growled in her mind.

She had come to the end of the song so she started from the first line again, humming it not only to distract herself but to block out the voice in her head.

_She's tall and tan and young and lovely…_

* * *

"Get off me, I'm fine," Skulduggery grumbled. Nye shook his head.

"Mr Pleasant, your hands have recently been unattached from their wrists and, until a couple of minutes ago, your leg was hanging off on a hinge. You are not fine, much to my happiness," it muttered before disappearing into its pantry of chemicals and such.

Skulduggery huffed, fed up of being injured.

After his encounter with Darquesse he had dropped into a street he recognised and phoned Ghastly to pick him up. Erskine had arrived with Ghastly, getting Skulduggery to explain everything that happened. After his thorough questioning, he had been taken to the ward for unwanted treatment from Nye.

The surgery wasn't as crowded as usual. Skulduggery was in a ward with Dexter who was being made to stay hospitalised for a few more days after finding out that his wounds were a little deeper than originally thought. Not that the adventurer cared, being in the company of Katti was very agreeable to him. Tanith was being kept in an intensive care ward, being looked over by Clarabelle and Ghastly.

"So Katti," Dexter began, "How long are you going to be staying here in the Sanctuary?"

Katti spread some gel across a scar on Dexter's shoulder and smiled.

"Just until I work enough for it to go on my résumé or until I get fired for flirting with patients," she quipped.

Dexter appreciated that his flirting partner was learning and held up the arm to which she wasn't tending to high-five her.

This, at least, made Skulduggery smile.

"I don't know what you're going to do when I'm discharged, Katti," Dexter mock-sighed, "Life will become so boring for you."

She shrugged, an evil smile playing around her lips. "Meh, I'll just find another easily-trusting man to toss innuendoes with."

"Easily-trusting?" he asked.

She nodded. "How do you know that what I've been treating you with isn't some deadly poison?"

Dexter chuckled. "You wouldn't do that to me."

Katti wiped the gel residue of his shoulder.

"Roll your shoulders," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," he quipped, doing so.

Katti sighed. "I am neither an army general nor the Queen, so less of the 'ma'am', thank you."

"I used to be an army general," said Dexter almost wistfully.

Skulduggery shook his head incredulously. "No, you weren't! You were in line to be an army general but you had an affair with the Head of Barracks' wife and you were kicked back down to army officer. The only reason you weren't shot was because I pulled in a favour for you."

"Yeah, thanks for that, Skul," Dexter snapped.

Skulduggery chuckled. "Now, _I _was an army general."

Katti raised her head from reading Dexter's blood test results. "Back when you were human?" she asked.

Skulduggery nodded. "I looked good in a uniform."

"Yeah, we all hated you for how good-looking you were," Dexter said.

"Shut up, I couldn't help it."

Katti smiled at the banter, wishing that she was as good friends with someone as those two were.

"Okay, you've had your treatment for today," she announced, "Now you need to eat."

Dexter grimaced. "But I hate hospital food! Stay back, you can't make me!"

She ignored him and presented him with a tray. On it was a bowl of soup and some seeded bread. Dexter pouted but snatched up the spoon.

Katti nodded. "Good boy."

He groaned at the flavour of the soup and hoped that if he gulped it down quick enough then the aftertaste wouldn't remain in his mouth.

"Nope, I can't eat this," he decided, placing the tray on his bedside table and sliding off his bed, "I'm going home."

Katti pushed him back down. "Oh no you don't, you big baby."

Dexter scowled.

"Do I have to tie you to the bed?" she asked.

"That would be entirely agreeable. Use Skulduggery's handcuffs, I don't think he's going to need to arrest anyone any time soon," Dexter suggested, gesturing to Skulduggery's broken leg.

Katti shook her head slowly. Skulduggery had been laughing at the exchange but the lightness of his belt made him frown. His handcuffs weren't there after all.

"Sorry, I think I've lost my handcuffs," he mumbled.

The door leading to the ward next to them swung open, revealing Clarabelle holding a clipboard. She had died her hair again, opting for a vibrant purple.

"Does someone need handcuffs?" she asked, cocking her head.

"No, Clarabelle, I was just saying I've lost mine," Skulduggery explained, "How is Tanith?"

Clarabelle shrugged. "She's pretty."

"No, I mean, how is she doing medically?"

"She's still."

Skulduggery sighed. "Yes, I forgot about the highly sophisticated medical term 'still'."

Clarabelle laughed loudly then rummaged around in her doctor's coat pocket.

"Do you need handcuffs?" she asked again.

"No, really, it's fine."

She frowned. "Are you sure? I have these ones that I don't want," she said, tossing a pair of handcuffs to him.

He caught them and had an overwhelming urge to hit himself in the skull.

"Clarabelle these handcuffs have fur on them," he said slowly, as if she didn't know.

She bit her lip, confused. "Is that a problem?"

"Well, they're not exactly -"

"I'll take them!" Dexter shouted, snatching the handcuffs out of Skulduggery's hands.

"Yay! Dexter I didn't see you there!" Clarabelle squealed.

"Hi, Clarabelle! Do you mind if I take these handcuffs?"

Clarabelle shook her head. "Not at all. They didn't work to keep my cat in the house anyway."

With that, she skipped back into Tanith's ward, her cow boots thudding on the linoleum.

"And my brain just melted," Skulduggery muttered.

* * *

The next morning, Skulduggery had been called to the throne room. His leg hadn't completely healed but Katti had agreed to let him out if he walked with a crutch. He _hated_ walking with a crutch. He couldn't even fly down the corridors; he wasn't allowed to snap his palms against the air because his hands were too fragile. There still weren't a lot of sorcerers around the hallways but the few that were milling about had been briefed about the encounter with Darquesse and looked uncomfortable seeing that she had caused Skulduggery Pleasant, of all the strongest people, injury. Some of them hadn't really believed just how dangerous she was. They were all idiots.

Skulduggery nodded to the Administrator and limped forwards to the throne room doorway. He shoved it open and found Erskine sitting sideways on his stone chair with his feet hanging over one arm and Madam Mist uprightly perching on hers. She may or not have been eyeing Erskine's posture irritably from behind her veil. Ghastly wasn't there but Skulduggery decided not to bring it up.

"Elders," Skulduggery greeted, tipping his hat, "How are your majesties today?"

Erskine rolled his eyes and swung in his seat so he was sitting properly.

He wore an apprehensive expression.

"Look Skulduggery, I understand that you probably want to spend all of your time looking for Darquesse."

Skulduggery frowned. "Yes?"

Erskine moved his mouth like he was trying to say something but nothing was coming out. Skulduggery would've laughed if he wasn't so suspicious.

"You need to go back to work, Detective," Madam Mist said, "As a crime-solver."

"Then I'm confused as to what I've been doing up until now…" Skulduggery muttered.

"You have been hunting for her instead of solving crimes, and as much as it pains me to admit it, you are a better detective than our others. You need to let us see to finding Darquesse and go back to your day job."

Skulduggery huffed. "You think I'm going to go and solve murders when my best friend is out there becoming more of a psychopath everyday? Have fun with that."

Erskine turned to Madam Mist. "I told you he wouldn't do it."

She ignored him and held up a hand to Skulduggery's protests. "You have no choice in the matter. We are only asking you to do your job. I even went to the trouble of finding a new partner for you."

Both Erskine and Skulduggery looked at her in shock.

"What?!" they shouted in unison.

"We know that you work best with a partner," she reasoned.

"No, he works best with Valkyrie!" Erskine argued, "I'm fine with getting him back to his job but I'm sure as hell not agreeing to this!"

Madam Mist remained as cool as ever. "Grand Mage, you know that, if we ever catch Darquesse then there is a very slim chance of reviving Miss Cain. Surely, it is best for Mr Pleasant to move on from her and, even though that is not the reason that I am doing it for, it must be a valid argument for you, his friend, to agree with."

Erskine was silent for a moment then turned to Skulduggery. "I guess, it makes sense, Skul."

Skulduggery shook his head stiffly. "No. I am not getting a replacement partner just because you think that I will work better in a job that I will not go back to. Why won't you let me help find Darquesse? I am the most useful link to her!"

"And that is the problem," Madam Mist replied coldly, "You would not kill Darquesse if you had the chance for fear of hurting Miss Cain. I'd dare wager that you would protect Darquesse just because you know that she is in there somewhere."

Skulduggery scowled and raised his chin arrogantly. He could've strangled Madam Mist if he had the strength.

"Fine," he declared, "I will abandon the hunt of Darquesse and go back to solving crimes. You have my word. But I will _not _work with a new partner."

Erskine nodded to show Madam Mist that he agreed with him. She didn't appear to register that she had just been made a deal. If she did then she denied it.

"Her name is Isla Jefferson, she is twenty and has some experience in crime-solving in the English Sanctuary. She's been recommended to me because she's clever. You'll work well with her."

Skulduggery turned on his heel and walked away, barely putting any weight on the crutch.

"I'm sure she's very clever but I won't work with her," he said, "Erskine, control your Elders. It appears Madam Mist thinks she has too much power."

He left the throne room and huffed, rubbing his forehead as if that would erase the last few minutes from his memory. He limped over to the bench at the edge of the hallway. There was a young girl sitting at the other end but he sat down anyway.

"Um, are you okay, Mr Pleasant?" asked the girl. She was English.

_Goddamn it _he thought. He really didn't want to talk to anyone.

He turned to look at the girl and nodded because ignoring her wouldn't be very gentlemanly.

"I'm fine," he said, "I just hate Elders."

She laughed a light fluttery laugh and nodded. "I hate Elders too. Madam Mist is super creeptacular."

"Yes she is," he agreed, appreciative of her imaginative vocabulary.

She held out her hand for him to shake, "I know you're Skulduggery Pleasant. Do you know who I am?"

He warily shook her hand, examining her face for recognition. She had sharp features but wasn't unattractive and her hair was light brown, curly. She was unfamiliar.

"No."

She smiled. "I'm Isla Jefferson. I believe I'm meant to working with you?"

Skulduggery quickly pulled back his hand and got up from the bench.

"Sorry, there's been a change of plan."

She frowned. "But Madam Mist said the job was mine."

"Not anymore it's not."

She got up too. "I know all about you. I know that you've lost so many people in your life but I won't let you down. Look, I know I'm not her but I'm clever and I listen. I won't get in your way and I'm polite. I'm good with people and I could help you."

"Did you just read out your résumé?" Skulduggery asked.

She scowled. "This is my life you're messing with. From what I've seen of Madam Mist, she probably won't give up on me but if she does then I'm back to England being the last resort they call on. I don't even care that you're a bastard because I would give anything to have this job no matter who I'm working with."

Skulduggery sighed. "I'm sorry. I really am but I can't get a new partner. If you're a clever girl then you'll find another job."

He snatched up his crutch and started walking away but she wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Valkyrie Cain is gone!" she shouted after him.

He didn't turn around but he stopped. "And if you become my partner then you will too. They all die in one way or another."

He carried on limping away.

"They all leave in the end."

**I felt like he went a bit Doctor Who at the end, like how the Doctor's companions always leave him. I feel like everyone is going to _hate _Isla :D**

** Anyway, I hope you liked it and please leave a review. **

**By the way, I'm going to edit 24 Hours because I've recently re-read it and there were so many mistakes that I don't know how you guys put up with me. I'm not going to change the story at all, I'm just getting rid of typos and such. **


	14. Crime Time

**Sorry for the wait, guys! Lots of things got in the way of this chapter but I'm here now :D. Review replies for the last chapter:**

**Justrockzyxxx: Meh, I was in a grim mood. Thanks for reading :D**

**Toki's Little Helper: I know right? I just want to give her a big cuddle -_-. Thanks, no problem! :)**

**Summer Rosewood: Wow, thank you so much! I just couldn't get my Whovian side to back down for that last chapter… I don't like Isla either, I've got no idea how I'm going to make a character I'm not going to like even vaguely likeable but, meh, it'll be good experience. Thanks for reading :)**

**Guest: Yeah, I though I'd better bring Valkyrie into the story as much as I could so thanks for saying that :). The waits between updates are normally pretty big so sorry about that…**

**Seraphic Calamitious: I'm afraid Isla is going to work with Skulduggery but it's only for a little bit, and it's exactly for the reason to make Darquesse/Valkyrie jealous that you pointed out :) Of course I listen to you, you make good suggestions. Thank you for reviewing :)**

**DarkAntidote: Oh HELL yes! **

**Meltedmarshmallowsontoast: *bashful smile* Thank you, you're amazing too!**

**Louisiana Stephenic: Nah, don't worry, you don't have to like her. Thank you for reading! :)**

**Malakai Winter: I actually love writing Darquesse so I'm glad you like her too! Yeah, they are kind of annoying but I can't tell you if they die or not just yet… Thank for reading!**

**Skulduggery Bathilda Spark: Hehe, shneakay. Thank you so much :)**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Much love, Ginger x**

The smell of alcohol and dust intoxicated Felix as soon as he entered the sleazy bar. It was early-morning but the bar was still pretty full and he wouldn't be able to tell the time of day when inside. He was already pretty drunk but it wouldn't hurt to inebriate and coat his feelings further with bitter, sticky beer. As far as he knew, this was a mortal bar but he recognised a couple of rough sorcerers (thankfully they didn't recognise him) he had been familiar with before his unofficial exile from the Necromancer Temple. Technically he left by himself but in those few days before his departure he could tell that his elders and betters were getting tired of him. It was only once in a blue moon when a Necromancer was considered to be banned from his/hers temple. Felix took a little pride in knowing that he was the only one to leave a temple in a very long time. It's ironic how he left because he felt the atmosphere was too depressing only to go to a life of misery that rarely left him.

He smiled at a pretty girl that looked out of place in the grimy bar, just for the hell of it. There was a girl next to her who appeared to be talking to her but she wasn't listening. She smiled back and his spirits lifted but he didn't move to speak to her. It wasn't until he looked more closely at her from the corner of his eye, so as not to appear like a slack-mouthed pervert, that he realised how dark her hair and eyes were. Obviously, her features varied in size and she wore her locks differently, but her similarities to Darquesse were annoyingly apparent. Felix pouted. Even when smiling at a seemingly random girl, he had chosen one that looked like his favourite obsession. Pulling himself together replaced getting even more drunk as the top item on his to-do list. He shrugged, though; drinking was more fun.

Felix left the girl to her drink and her friend; he went to an empty stool by the bar counter. He winced as the motion of sitting down made his head spin and slapped the surface of the counter with his good hand to get the barman's attention.

"Drink?" growled the barman. Felix nodded slowly, letting his head loll about as if independent from his neck.

"What do you want?" he asked in the same deep gravelly voice. Felix took a moment to survey the asker. He had broad shoulders and was very square in the jaw. Felix wouldn't want to be against him in a fight. Perhaps his most prominent feature was his long black hair that easily went past his shoulders. He was a little intimidating. Just a little.

"I said, what do you want?"

Felix grunted a word that was very far away from 'beer' but the barman understood, having served many people drunker than Felix and much less coherent.

"What's your name?" Felix slurred.

The barman frowned. "Nathan."

Felix laughed although nothing was particularly funny. The beer was slid in front of him and he swiped it up, leaning on the counter with his other arm.

"What's wrong with your hand?" Nathan rasped, eyeing the other man's claw. Nathan, after having drained half the pint of beer already, raised his eyebrow.

"What's wrong with your name? I mean, you look like a pretty tough guy but you're called Nathan," he retorted. Nathan grunted and turned to face him fully. He leant closer to Felix over the counter, his green eyes narrowed.

"Pay up," he snarled. Felix nodded quickly to avoid being punched and fumbled in his pockets for some money. He pushed a note onto the table and sighed in relief when William took it without question. Felix took this time to slide off the barstool and sit in a chair far away from the counter. He watched the bartender warily then turned away, his grey eyes meeting dark ones.

"Hi," said the dark-haired girl he saw when he came in, "I don't know if you smiling at me earlier was just a coincidence or something, Carey over there convinced me that it wasn't…can I buy you a drink?"

Felix frowned. He wasn't sure what to do in that situation. Should he tell the girl that he was a magic psychopath that was in love with another magic psychopath? This girl might be a sorcerer, it was a pretty magic based neighbourhood, s she would understand the magic part but the psychopath part might put her off. He shrugged. Looking over her shoulder, he saw the girl she was sitting with eyeing them intently with a teasing smile on her face.

"Sure, I'm already drunk, but sure, yep," he stuttered, somehow jamming his beer bottle into his other claw-grip hand so he could offer his working one for her to shake. She shook it, the swap of the bottle not going unnoticed.

"I'm Jill Halliday."

"Felix."

Later on that night, after several drinks and a lot of laughter (Felix was barely familiar with the concept of laughter so he savoured it while he could) he kissed Jill. It was sloppy and a little unprepared for but she returned it. This perfectly sweet girl had no idea that he was pretending she was Darquesse while he kissed her and he felt sorry for that. This was how he imagined yesterday evening to go. He felt better knowing that he had this memory to call on when he was plagued by the one when Darquesse had denied him his kiss.

Jill and her sister left soon after, Jill with a giddy smile on her face. He found himself hoping she got home safely in the dusk.

* * *

"You can follow me around all you want, I'm not working with you," Skulduggery grumbled. Isla huffed again.

"Oh my God," she whined, "I don't understand why you're so against me!"

"Well, apart from the fact that I've been forced into working with you and you called me a bastard the first time we met…," he muttered.

She ran her fingers through her hair and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Skulduggery side-glanced at her, sighing.

"Look," he began in a friendlier tone, "I'm not against you, I just don't need you when I already have a partner."

She walked with him as he swerved into another corridor of the Sanctuary.

"She's not with you right now, though, so I see no issues with you having someone to help you solve cases for the remainder of her absence."

Skulduggery sighed again. He was grateful, however, for how she worded things. She said things as if Valkyrie was going to come back. This was a tactic, he assumed, because her screaming at him 'Valkyrie Cain is gone!' after their first meeting yesterday didn't exactly get her on his good side.

"I don't need another partner," he repeated. He was getting tired of saying that. Isla pouted.

"Well, Madam Mist called us both into the Sanctuary today and I presume it's for the same thing so you should get used to it. I'm sticking around."

Skulduggery, now on the corridor to the throne room (a room he had been visiting far too often lately) frowned and turned to face her fully.

"It's obvious that I don't want to work with you but you're adamant that you're staying. Why is that?" he asked, uncomfortable with engaging in conversation with her.

She shrugged. "I though I made it clear that this is the only decent job offer I've had in ages. I've been a Sanctuary agent since I was seventeen and nothing good ever came up. I'm not passing up this chance. It could set my whole life up."

"How do you mean?"

"If I can go to my next job after having worked here then I can tell them that I worked with Skulduggery Pleasant and lived. It'll look good on my résumé," she explained without pausing for breath.

Guilt grudgingly teased at Skulduggery's head as he realised that his pride was keeping this girl from getting work. He shook it off, though. Madam Mist was right, she was clever; clever enough to find a job where she would be wanted.

He pushed open the door to the throne room with both hands, having been able to get rid of his crutch since the day before.

Ghastly was not there again. Skulduggery assumed he was still with Tanith.

"Ah, Mr Pleasant, I'm so glad to see that you have accommodated your new partner," Madam Mist said with a patronising smile in her voice.

Skulduggery huffed. "I'm sorry to disappoint you but she is only here because she kept following me."

Erskine's lips quirked as he saw Isla's scowl turn colder. The Grand Mage also found it difficult to like Isla Jefferson, the feeling that she was replacing Valkyrie was unavoidable.

"Be that as it may, you are required to attend a case," Erskine stated officially, "Whether you work with Miss Jefferson or not."

Isla wore an expression like she was going into battle. She was not giving up so easily.

"What's the case?" Skulduggery asked stiffly, still unhappy with not being able to search for Darquesse.

"Just a murder," Madam Mist said monotonously. Skulduggery, no matter how my deaths were in his life, disliked how the Elder passed off murder like it was as inconsequential as stealing a colouring book.

"Okay," he and Isla said in unison. He snapped his head towards her and tilted it to show he was glowering. She frowned at him in confusion. It appeared not everyone understood his versions of expressions. He often wondered how Valkyrie had figured it out at all.

Erskine flicked open file that balanced on the stone arm of his throne.

"Twenty-two year old female mage, several bruises to the stomach and chest," he read out, "Decapitated."

Isla swallowed and shuddered, wondering if she would have to take a look at the body. The skeleton saw her grimace and chuckled at her expense.

"And when was this reported?" Skulduggery asked.

"She was found this morning by her sister. They had been walking home from some sort all-day pub when the victim disappeared from the sister's side. The sister panicked and started running in the direction they were going to see if she had taken some short-cut and found her body in the doorway of the house they shared."

Isla winced.

"With the head few feet away."

She flattened her tongue against the bottom of her mouth as she gagged.

"So the murder was committed this morning?" Skulduggery asked.

"Yes."

"In daylight?"

Erskine shrugged. "It was early morning so it probably would've been a bit dim but, yes, pretty much."

Skulduggery frowned. "Is the sister here?"

"Yes, she's in the ward with Dexter at the moment. She isn't conscious. She fainted shortly after questioning," Erskine replied.

"And the body is here?"

"Yes, in the morgue."

Skulduggery nodded and turned on his heel towards the door. Erskine didn't bother trying to give the file to him, Skulduggery had asked for the information he needed.

"What first?" Isla asked as she scooted to his side.

He sighed. "Nothing, for you."

She pouted and went into slower step behind him so she wouldn't annoy him so.

Skulduggery suddenly jerked and turned his head to face Erskine again.

"What was the victim's name?" he asked, mostly out of protocol.

The Grand Mage glanced at the label on the slim file.

"Jill Halliday, her sister is Carey Livingstone. They are both mages."

He inclined his head. "Thank you."

After a few minutes of walking through the sprawling corridors, Skulduggery turned abruptly to address his follower.

"You aren't going to go away are you?"

Isla shook her head, her eyes lighting up.

"Okay then," he surrendered, a contriving smile in his voice, "You might as well make yourself useful and check out the body."

Isla blanched and narrowed her eyes. This was not going to be pleasant.

**Mwahahahaha… God, I'm evil. I hope you liked it x**


	15. Phone A Friend

**Warning: One use of strong language, lovelies. **

**Sorry for the wait, guys. I've had to put my Les Mis story on temporary hiatus for now due to lack of inspiration but I was sure I'd get a chapter out on this story without having to do that. **

**Massacre13: Yep, that's the idea! Thank you, I'm glad you are :) **

**Malakai Winter: Hahaha, you'll find out soon! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Justrockzyxxx: Oh my God, she really is like Scapegrace isn't she! Ha, I never noticed that! Thanks, I'm glad you liked it :)**

**Louisiana Stephenic: Thanks, I'm glad you did! You'll be finding out who killed her a lot sooner than the last chapter :)**

**Toki's Little Helper: Nope, she definitely won't. Nah, fangirl all you want. Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Summer Rosewood: Aah, well Darquesse does like to be dramatic. Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!**

**DarkAntidote: Yep, I want to punch her too. Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Skulduggery Bathilda Spark: Aah, you never know, I may be related to Steven Moffat. Thanks, I'm happy you're loving it!**

**Fire Kitty 12: Hehehe :)**

**Sapphire Iota: Maybe she did…maybe she didn't… ;) Thank you so much, I'm so glad you're enjoying it :)**

**Guest: Thank you! **

**Phoenix Rise from the Ashes: Wow, thank you! I'm actually alright for characters for the moment but thanks so much for the offer :)**

**Much Love, Ginger x**

Isla dragged her eyes away from the white sheet that covered the upper half of the body's neck, especially where it went flat in absence of the head. There was a length of bandage around the victim's chest and groin. Clarabelle respected the dead and did this with all the bodies to protect their modesty. Isla appreciated that. Still, she appreciated the sheet covering its severed neck even more so.

"What do you think?" she asked from a safe distance as Skulduggery paced around the morgue table.

He didn't answer but snapped his head up. He picked up the right hand of the body and twisted it to be palm upwards, revealing a series of scrawled numbers in black biro. The figures were fading with the dew of the girl's last sweat and the ink had bled into the lines on her palm but they were legible.

Isla's eyes widened.

"A phone number?"

Skulduggery nodded. Isla took a step forwards towards the table.

"It might not be significant, she could've written it on herself, just some phone number she didn't want to forget, but the angle it's written on her hand suggests that someone sitting across from her wrote it down," she explained, more talking to herself than to Skulduggery.

"Most probably," he said, "I'll give the number a call."

Skulduggery produced a phone from his pocket and slid open the lock screen.

"What are you doing? It could be a trap," Isla warned.

Skulduggery looked up at her from the dead hand. "So?"

She sighed in exasperation and listened to him mutter the numbers out loud as he padded them into the phone.

It took ten seconds before the phone was answered.

"Hello?" Skulduggery said, his eyes focused on a random spot on the wall.

"_Yeah? Who's that?"_ replied the man on the other side.

"My name is Skulduggery Pleasant and I have some questions for you about the death of a young woman."

There was a sharp intake of breath.

"_Who died?"_ asked the man warily.

"A girl called Jill Halliday."

The phone was dropped and a bleak silence followed. Skulduggery waited.

"_Okay,"_ came the croak.

"I'm sorry for your…loss," Skulduggery said uniformly, "Your phone number was written on the hand of the victim and since we have no other leads apart from her sister then you were our best bet. Will you be willing to answer some questions?"

* * *

Felix woke up on his apartment floor to the upbeat sound of his ringtone pounding into his head. He groaned and tried to move his right arm but he had slept with his head on it so it had gone numb. He rolled over and hit the wall.

"Ow."

His phone was still ringing incessantly. Felix flailed his left arm to his jeans pocket and pulled out the phone, managing the flip it open in the process as he lifted it to his ear.

"_Hello?"_

He blinked groggily. "Yeah? Who's that?"

"_My name is Skulduggery Pleasant."_ Felix jerked fully awake and bit his lip nervously, knowing that talking to his princess's enemy couldn't end well. He almost hung up but his tired curiosity got the better of him. How had he got his number?

"_And I have some questions for you about the death of a young woman."_

Felix frowned and breathed hadn't killed anyone recently but his hand still shook as he replied.

"Who died?" he asked, cautiously speaking in a whisper as if somebody was listening to the conversation.

"_A girl called Jill Halliday."_

Felix fumbled with the phone and it fell to the ground. He let it lie there for a moment as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course, the only friendly girl he had met in years would be killed the day after he met him. He understood how the detective had got his number; he had written it on Jill's hand before he kissed her.

But her sister! Her poor sister, whether she was alive or dead, had probably been there. Felix let out a shaky breath and picked up the phone. He considered asking about Carey but he couldn't seem to manage any more that one word.

"Okay," he mumbled.

There was a pause on the other side of the phone.

"_I'm sorry for your loss._ _Your phone number was written on the hand of the victim and since we have no other leads apart from her sister then you were our best bet. Will you be willing to answer some questions?"_

Felix almost immediately said no, knowing that if Darquesse found out then she probably wouldn't take it well. Who was he kidding? She would be furious, especially given their current situation with the kiss. That was if he was going to see her in the near future.

His train of thought was stopped as a sudden realisation froze him. Jill was a lovely normal girl who didn't look like she had any enemies. Her face even looked innocent; naïve, compared to all the other faces he'd seen, especially Darquesse's. Who would kill her? For a second, he felt somewhat…dutiful, like it was his job to help find Jill's killer. At least that was what he told himself because secretly all that was fuelling his want to help was to spite Darquesse for rejecting him.

"Yes."

He gave Skulduggery Pleasant his address and, with the promise that he would be there in fifteen minutes, the detective rang off.

Felix threw his phone to the floor and rested his forehead on his knees. He was selfish for feeling sorry for himself when that poor girl was dead. She had been kind, though, and it had been a beautiful patch of blue sky in the seemingly fathomless grey clouds he had been enduring since Darquesse had entered his life.

Should he mourn for a girl he'd spent all of four hours in the company of? Should he be angry at who murdered her? He supposed that murder was most likely otherwise the skeleton wouldn't have called.

All he could do was wait for the detective and hope that Darquesse wouldn't burst through the door.

Knock. Knock.

Felix had fallen asleep after the phone call; awaking to the news of a new friend's death was a nasty alarm and exhausted him more than the alcohol consumed the evening before. He scrambled to his feet and stretched, hearing another more urgent knock. He sauntered into the hallway, eyes half-open, and unlocked the door.

"Hello, Mr…?" greeted Skulduggery brightly. He almost held up his left hand for Felix to shake but noticed his inadequate claw and presented his right. Felix took it out of habit and let the skeleton in.

"Felix Wander," he replied monotonously. _Damn_. He scolded himself for not giving him a fake name.

"This is Miss Jefferson, the young obnoxious woman who insists on sticking around," Skulduggery grumbled, pointing towards a pretty brown-haired girl behind him, "Feel free to accidentally not let her in."

Miss Jefferson scowled and followed him in. She looked around sparely when she found no furniture to sit on; Pleasant just comfortably sat on the floor against the wall, looking around at the ceiling like a child.

"Lovely place you've got here," he quipped. Felix smiled dryly and saw for a moment why Darquesse got so frustrated with him. Still, all of a sudden, the feeling of her lips almost on his came screaming back to him and he realised that he couldn't afford to have an issue with Skulduggery Pleasant when just talking to him was his way of getting back at her.

Miss Jefferson went to stand next to Felix.

"Did you know Miss Halliday well?" she asked attentively, obviously wanting to get to the point but not wanting to be too insensitive.

Felix groggily looked over to her and shook his head.

"No, I met her in a bar, of course I didn't know her well," he muttered.

Miss Jefferson snorted and sat down next to Skulduggery. Felix, sleepy though he was, noticed that she left a considerable gap between them when he knew if she had been Valkyrie Cain then they would probably sit with their arms touching. It wasn't hard to work out that this girl had been forced upon him to help with the 'mundane' crimes. Skulduggery obviously wasn't very happy with this, the way he inclined his head away from her couldn't be because of anything else but his zealous obsession with maintaining his loyalty to Miss Cain. It was subtle but Felix had a good eye for relationships. For instance, he had seen that Jill was Carey's sister by the way the acted around each other. At this thought, he was brought back to the matter at hand.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

Miss Jefferson turned a little pale and looked at the floor.

"She was decapitated," the skeleton said slowly.

Felix made a noise of disbelief and leaned against the wall for support. It felt funny, how he had been living immorally all his life and yet something as evil as beheading a sweet young girl made him sick to his stomach. Well, it was only funny in a cynical, horrific way.

"Okay," he whispered.

"Are you alright?" tended Miss Jefferson.

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"No."

"No?"

"Not even a little bit."

She nodded. "Ah. Well I'm terribly sorry for your loss."

Felix scoffed in an attempt at haughtiness. "I met her at a bar."

"Yeah, but it always hits home if someone you know, no matter how badly you knew them, gets…decapitated."

He rubbed his forehead. "Yeah."

Half a minute of silence passed before Skulduggery cleared his throat and stood up.

"So you meet Miss Jefferson in the bar and write your number down on her hand."

Felix nodded. "And her sister was there, Carrie I think it was."

"Carey," Miss Jefferson corrected.

"And they left safely?" the detective continued.

"Yeah, not long before I left."

He started pacing. "You went straight home, Felix?"

"Yes."

Skulduggery nodded and played with the rim of his hat. "What had you done before you went to the bar?"

It was that moment that he could've changed his life. Well, maybe not his life but something could've changed. He could've told the skeleton exactly what happened last night, all about Darquesse. He wanted to spite her, didn't he? The ultimate revenge, to sell her out. _Last night, Mr Pleasant, I was here in my house arguing with Darquesse over her mood-swings. I was drunk and she was pissed off as always. I said that I would give her more power, like I had been doing the past week or so, in exchange for a kiss because I am utterly in love with her. She ran away before she completed her side of the deal and I haven't seen her since. _Yes, that was what he would say. That would satisfy whatever short-lived vendetta he had against her cruelty. It would make him feel…better. Yes, better.

He sighed. "I was here drinking." Maybe he couldn't do that to her after all.

Miss Jefferson raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Perhaps he should've kept his drinking problem to himself.

"What happened to Carrie? Sorry, Carey?" Felix questioned to bring the focus off himself.

"Miss Livingstone was unharmed but fell unconscious out of shock. We could barely get a word out of her after she said what happened. Especially when she found her sister's head in the doorway," Skulduggery said.

Felix swallowed hard.

"Do you have any idea who would want to kill her? Did she seem on edge at all?"

Felix shook his head profusely. "No, she didn't. She was normal. Unless she had some sick ex boyfriend."

Skulduggery tilted his head. "You really can't think of anyone?"

"I wasn't fucking married to her!" Felix yelled, losing his patience.

Miss Jefferson raised her hands. "Alright, alright, chill out!"

Felix huffed and turned away.

"Okay, I think that'll be all. Thank you."

Skulduggery and the girl turned away towards the door. Felix breathed out in relief and felt the weight he didn't know was there lift from his shoulders. He leaned on the wall with one hand.

"Actually, Felix," began the skeleton. He turned around irritably and raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't heard anything about Darquesse, have you?" he asked. Felix frowned, noting a different tone in his voice, one that was less 'protocol' and more like he was actually talking instead of just speaking for the Sanctuary.

The young man faltered and ran a hand through his hair. Yet another chance to sell out his precious Darquesse appeared but this time he didn't even consider taking it. "No. I-I haven't. I hear she's still in Dublin but that's probably all you've heard."

"Yes. Well, thank you for your time," he said, passing a sceptically-faced Miss Jefferson in the doorway on his way out. She looked at Felix for the longest time then raised a hand in goodbye and left.

Felix, instead of feeling relief, stayed tense. Fists clenched. The way that girl looked at him was unnerving, like she was looking right through him. She can't have known he was lying; she wasn't a mind-reader.

He shook his head quickly and squeezed his eyes shut. Now he had slept all day, he could feel that long lost power in his bones that had been evading him for so long. Enough to Wander away at least to the next block? He felt shadows swirl from his fingertips and gather around him with elegance he had been mastering for years. In that split second before he disappeared, he saw Miss Jefferson staring at him through the window before she ducked into the shiny black car outside. She was going to be a difficult one to get off his back.

He appeared in the alleyway, panting a little. He leaned against the grey stone wall and sighed. It was cold there, shielded by the trees the shaded him. Maybe that place could've even been peaceful.

Felix turned on his side and rubbed a hand over his face in an attempt to erase the day's memories. As he faced the deep side of the alley, he noticed a dark figure with his back to him, shaking.

"Felix?" she called. Of course, it would be her, wouldn't it?

He laughed bitterly, replaying his almost-kiss for what felt like the fifth time that day.

"It's always you here, isn't it? Always," he cried.

Darquesse turned around and Felix's breath caught in his tight throat. At least she'd always looked at least a little human before but, now as she walked into the light, she looked like a monster with all the dried blood covering her like a new skin.

**Right, so it was a bit of a filler but meh, let's go with it. **

**I've got something to tell you guys! Come closer. Yeah, pretend that didn't sound perverted. Okay, so I'm afraid that the end to this story isn't exactly happy so I just wanted to warn you. Sorry, I'm evil. **

**Ooh, and if you want (I'm going to shamelessly advertise right here) could you check out the last instalment to Stargazer? I'd love for you to read it. **


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